UAE prize draws suspension: Mahzooz hopes to hear on lottery license bid within weeks

The operator behind the popular Mahzooz draw has said it hopes to hear within weeks if it has been successful in its bid for a ‘National Lottery’ license, more than a month after a UAE-wide suspension on all prize draws across the country came into effect.

“We are still hoping (to hear) before the end of quarter one (2024),” Suzan Kazzi, head of communications at Ewings (operator of Mahzooz), confirmed to Al Arabiya English.

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The operator has applied to the new UAE’s gaming operator – the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) – for a new lottery license. The national lottery license will be awarded to just one UAE raffle operator.

Mahzooz aims to be the new national lottery operator and hopes it will get an answer by the end of March.

Al Arabiya English previously reported how operators of prize draws in the country – which includes Mahzooz and Emirates Draw and which could previously see participants scoop as much as $54 million – were instructed to pause business inside the UAE as of Monday, January 1.

“The pause is a result of an industry-wide mandate consistent with the regulators’ new role to create a well-regulated gaming environment in the United Arab Emirates,” Mahzooz said at the time.

The UAE launched the GCGRA in September to create a framework for regulating national lottery and commercial gaming – a move that industry experts believe may lead to billions of dollars in annual revenue.

Abu Dhabi will be overseeing GCGRA’s operations, as is the case with all federal authorities. However, the rulers of each of the seven emirates will have the power to decide whether to allow gambling.

Kazzi previously told Al Arabiya English they retained hopes they resume “Mahzooz’s mission of changing people’s lives once hopefully successful in the bid for the National Lottery license.”

Previously, players have been able to win up to millions of dollars in prize draws, including Mahzooz, Emirates Draw, Big Ticket, and Dubai Duty-Free.

Mahzooz – relaunched in 2020 and inaugurated as the GCC region’s first weekly live draw – hosted a weekly raffle every Saturday. To play, participants needed to purchase a minimum of one water bottle priced under $10 (Dh35), which served as a single entry.

Matching numbers drawn by Mahzooz determined the prize amount. By matching all numbers, participants could take home the grand prize of $5.4 million (Dh20 million).

Read more:

UAE-wide suspension on prize draws, inc Mahzooz, Emirates Draw comes into effect

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