The initial weeks of Dubai Shopping Festival have witnessed shopping, entertainment, and winning in their truest forms. Malls have registered a surge in the number of visitors and corresponding sales with about two million shoppers recorded during Eid Al Adha holidays while Global Village reported about 150,000 visitors a day in the holiday period. International performers have brought the best of world entertainment to Dubai, while the three main raffle draws are rewarding shoppers with incredible prizes everyday.

The Lexus draw is giving away prizes this DSF amounting to AED 25 million, the highest in any single draw held in the history of the shopping festival. Two stunning Lexus cars and AED 100,000 are given away daily to one lucky winner. The draw became even more appealing with the fortnightly draws being held during the 45-day long shopping festival. The last fortnightly draw held on the 4th of January witnessed 15 winners take home AED 100,000 each amounting to a total of AED 1.5 million. South Asians accounted for the majority of the winners in the fortnightly draw with nine winners from India, and one winner each from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, highlighting the popularity of the Lexus draws amongst them. The draw also saw a winner each from the U.A.E, Oman, and Ireland.

Santhosh C.S. from the southern state of Kerala in India has been in Dubai for the past eleven years. When the results of the Lexus draw were announced on the 26th, he and his friends were disappointed, only to learn a week later that they had won AED 100,000 in the fortnightly draw.

"I just couldn’t believe our luck. The results on the 26th dampened our spirits and we never expected to win like this. I've been buying raffle tickets since DSF started and this is the first time I've won," said Santhosh, who works for an amusement centre.

The fortnightly draw also witnessed the first Irish winner since the raffle draws began on the 20th of December, 2006. Jaffer, a practising doctor in Abu Dhabi, usually participates in raffle draws and says that he was unaware that he had won.

"I was totally unaware that I had won in the fortnightly draw and when I came to know I was simply delighted. I don’t usually worry over the results but this has come as a total surprise," said Jaffer who bought his ticket from an Eppco petrol station in Al Mankhool area. P.K. Wijesena, from Sri Lanka, is also one among the 15 winners of the Lexus fortnightly draw. The first Sri Lankan to win since the raffle draws began, Wijesena bought his ticket from Global Village along with a friend.

"I live in Ras Al Khaimah and I had come to the Global Village with my friends last week. I don’t usually buy raffle tickets but my friend persuaded me and we bought it. When we didn't win the daily draw I was convinced that buying raffle tickets was of no use but this winning has changed my views on raffle draws," said Wijesena, who works in a bank.

"With the money that I'll get I'm looking to invest in shares but nothing is decided. I'll wait and make a decision only after I consult my family," he added.

The only national to win in the fortnightly draw, eleven-year-old Ahmed Jassim Al Mazrooi won AED 100,000 in cash. Ahmed’s father, Jassim Al Mazrooi bought the ticket from a petrol station in Rashidiya and says he had hopes of winning.

"I had a feeling that the New Year would be lucky and that's why I bought the raffle ticket and penned in Ahmed's name," said Jassim who works for the Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Department.

Mohammed Abdul Islam, from Bangladesh, and two friends drove all the way from Abu Dhabi to buy a raffle ticket and try their luck on New Year's Day. Although they didn't win the daily draw, they took home AED 100,000 in cash in the fortnightly draw.

"When we drove to Dubai to buy just a raffle ticket, some of our friends taunted us and called us insane. Now that we've won, everyone's quiet but honestly, I didn't think we would win," says Mohammed who has been in Abu Dhabi since 1999 and hopes to send his share of the winnings home.

Obaid Mohammed, from Oman, has been in Dubai since 1969 and seems to be the owner of a lucky pair of hands. Obaid won AED 100,000 with the first raffle ticket he has ever bought.

"I've never bought raffle tickets before and this time I thought I'd buy one for the fun of it. I am extremely surprised that I won and this feeling will stay with me for a long time," he added.

Another winner, Vijayakumar, was pleasantly surprised when he was informed that he had won AED 100,000. Having been in Dubai for just one year now, Vijayakumar bought his lucky ticket from an Eppco petrol station and was not hoping to win.

"I bought the raffle ticket for the fun of it and not because I was hoping to win. This winning has come as a surprise and I'm thinking of buying more tickets during the remaining days of DSF," said Vijayakumar.

The next fortnightly draw will give 10 winners the opportunity to win AED 100,000 amounting to total prize money of AED 1 million. The Lexus Mega fortnightly draw is being organised for the first time in a DSF edition and hopes to increase the chances of winning for shoppers. The combined edition of DSF 2006-2007 will run from December 20, 2006 to February 2, 2007. The 45 days of family fun, entertainment and shopping frenzy will offer retrospective glimpses of the 10 previous editions combining the best of the best and promises to be even bigger and better. .