Raffles are a growing trend in Abu Dhabi. From Gold to Dirham, Emiratis and tourists have a wide selection of prizes they can win by entering different raffles.
With gambling being illegal due to being prohibited in Islam, many tourists and ex-pats are forced to Play Live Casino outside of their jurisdiction, otherwise, they would be committing a crime. This is why there are zero casinos or gaming arcades in shopping malls or hotels in Abu Dhabi – with the closest ones being in Beirut and Egypt.
Whilst the term lottery isn’t legally accepted in Abu Dhabi, lucky draws and raffles are legal – if conducted in a licensed and compliant way. Many of these are compliant with Islam by being investment based draws or simply have no fee to enter, and are instead add-ons to separate spending.
The largest prize in UAE history was Dh 77,777,777. This was conducted by the Emirates Draw organisation, in which entry was given by purchasing Dh 50 Coral Polyp online.
Mall raffles
In 2019, a Bangladeshi ex-pat called Mohammed Suman Haje won Dh 1 million worth of gift cards from Aldar Mall’s ‘Be a Monthly Millionaire’ campaign. “I really felt I’m the luckiest father on earth. It was the surprise of a lifetime for me when I received a call from WTC Abu Dhabi on Sunday,” stated Mohammed. “I got married in February last year and we had our babies a week ago and now we are Dh1 million richer.”
Mohammed said that he will be buying gold as a long-term investment to secure his twin children’s future, along with sharing the prize winnings with his wife, parents, three sisters and two brothers
Raffles are growing in popularity across the UAE, with places such as the World Trade Center hosting more and more of these competitions. The particular raffle draw that Mohammed won, there is a new winner announced at the beginning of each month.
Dubai Shopping Malls Group, in collaboration with Retail Establishments and Dubai Festivals, have announced a ‘Shop and Win Gold’ campaign. The 15-day celebration of the Diwali Festivities saw a flurry of offers, promotions, and winnings.
Shoppers only had to spend AED 200 before being able to participate in the digital raffle. The prizes were 20 grams of 24-karat gold, which equates to around AED 100,000. 20 winners were named during November 2021.
The malls that were eligible and participating included Oasis Mall, Reef Mall, Al Bustan Centre, Bay Avenue Mall, Central Mall, Crown Mall, Al Khail Gate Community Centre, The Mall, Burjuman Centre, among others.
Of course, many visitors of Abu Dhabi and surrounding areas are there for shopping. Shopping malls are an incredibly important industry here, and these raffles are a fitting campaign towards promoting consumerism inside of them.
Spending money
It’s no coincidence that many raffles are in malls, or associated with them. Not only are they flooded with consumers and sometimes tourists, but they’re places where the potential winnings can be spent.
Mohammed, who won Aldar Mall’s ‘Be a Monthly Millionaire’ campaign in 2019, right away spent Dh 700 in the World Trade Center. There is no shortage of shops and investments in the UAE in which winners can spend their prizes, which adds to the experience of participating.
Another local raffle in the Dubai Mall is offering a Dh 6 million Fenyr SuperSport car for the winner of their campaign, in which people are entered by spending over Dh 500 in the shopping mall. This can be on shopping, entertainment or dining of course, in which the receipts are entered into the app.
Cash is offered as an alternative, which again, can be spent in the same shopping mall that was used to enter into the competition This helps these organisers keep the money within the same establishments, to some extent. The Dubai Mall, however, has historically given away many Back to School scholarships.
Legality
Running a sales promotion or raffle requires a permit, otherwise, there can be a penalty. Penalties range from Dh 2,000 to AED 25,000 for a first offence. This is to prevent an influx of people hosting competitions that push the boundaries on what is Islam compliant and legal inside of UAE. Keeping campaigns licensed and regulated is important, but it certainly doesn’t get in the way of the size of the prize pools.
Cash prizes are generally not permitted but are in circumstances where cash is a core aspect of the organiser’s business, such as a money exchange company. Of course, tobacco and alcohol cannot be used as a prize, nor can pharmaceuticals.
Most raffles have an entrance of showing a receipt that proves a certain amount has been purchased in the respective establishment, such as money spent in a certain shopping mall. This mitigates the relationship of gambling and is instead a reward for being a loyal customer.
