About 51 per cent of Gulf residents across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain, will start their own business if they win Dh100,000 (27,225) in a raffle, said a consumer survey conducted by Western Union.

The results were based on the responses received, when respondents were questioned about how they would spend Dh100,000 should they win the grand prize for Western Union’s ongoing ‘Send Money & Win Big’ promotion.

The global payment services firm said the survey brought out interesting results with 20 per cent of them saying they wanted to buy a house, while 14 per cent said they would lavish it on their family.

While 11 per cent of the respondents said they would give to charity, 10 per cent said they would like to save, while 8 per cent wanted to buy a car with the prize money.

Sobia Rahman, regional vice president for the Gulf, Pakistan and Afghanistan said, 'Western Union helps people move money quickly, reliably and efficiently but more importantly helps bring to fruition a number of dreams.'

'We are currently running a promotion that gives our consumers the chance to win Dh100,000 in cash and achieve their goals. We wanted to share their dreams and see what they want to do with the money. The results really amazed us,' she added.

Romela Vestido, a Filipina sales representative in the UAE said, “If I win I will help my family and start a beauty salon back home. I will save the rest of the money for my future use.”

Ahmed Khedr, an Egyptian residing in the UAE, “If I win, I will invest the money in the UAE itself and start a new professional life.”

Apart from starting a new business, the second most important thing people would like to do is buy a house, the survey pointed out.

Anita Kamit, a Kuwait-based sales representative, said,  “I will go back home to India and start my own business but I will also build a house for my family with the cash prize.”-TradeArabia News Service