On this day 65 years ago, the first ever Premium Bonds draw took place. Today, ERNIE celebrates its 65th birthday and NS&I have announced that two Premium Bonds jackpot winners – the first from Essex and the second from Kirklees – are both £1 million richer. The £1 million jackpot is 1,000 times larger than the £1,000 jackpot prize was in June 1957.
The first winning Bond number drawn was 281YT705546 and it belongs to a winner in Essex. The jackpot winner holds £10,001 in Premium Bonds and purchased the winning Bond in September 2016. They become the nineteenth millionaire chosen by ERNIE from Essex.
The second winning Bond number drawn was 464SG223887 and the winner comes from Kirklees. The winner holds £50,000 in Premium Bonds and purchased their winning Bond in July 2021. The win makes them just the second Premium Bonds millionaire from Kirklees.
The news comes hot on the heels of a recent announcement from NS&I that the premium bond prize rate was hiked to 1.4%.
Jill Waters, NS&I Retail Director, said: “There are so many reasons to celebrate Premium Bonds this month. Firstly, we were pleased to announce the increase of Premium Bonds prize fund rate from 1.00% to 1.40%, effective from this month’s draw, which will see an extra 1.4 million prizes paid out.
“The 65th anniversary of ERNIE’s first draw is also a momentous occasion. The thrill of saving with Premium Bonds is still as present today as it was in 1957 and I am sure that is something our two jackpot winners from Essex and Kirklees would agree with.
“Premium Bonds have really changed over the years, with the first draw having 23,142 prizes and this month’s draw seeing a total of 4,823,067 prizes – a record number for a Premium Bonds prize draw. Happy Birthday, ERNIE – here’s to another 65 years of Premium Bonds.”
Increased prize fund rate means more chances of winning
There were over 4.8 million other prizes drawn this month worth between £25 and £100,000. Premium Bonds are one of the nation’s most popular savings products and are the perfect way to start a savings habit, with the minimum investment starting at £25.
Premium Bonds customers can add to their Premium Bonds holding quickly and securely, both for themselves or their child, via bank transfer. By topping up regularly each month, customers are giving themselves further chances to win in each monthly draw. Customers can find out how to make a bank transfer and set up a standing order into their Premium Bonds here.
Receive Premium Bonds prizes faster
Customers can choose to have their prizes paid directly to their bank account or have their wins automatically reinvested into more Premium Bonds. By having prizes paid directly, it reduces the number of prizes that go unclaimed and means that customers can benefit from their wins more quickly. More than nine in ten prizes are now paid directly to customers’ bank accounts or reinvested into more Bonds.
This is quicker, easier and more secure for customers than receiving prizes via cheque in the post. Customers can find out more about the benefits of getting their prizes paid directly into their bank accounts or automatically reinvested into more Premium Bonds here.
Premium Bonds holders can check to see if they have won a prize in June’s prize draw, by using the nsandi.com prize checker, official prize checker app or their Alexa-enabled device from Thursday 2 June 2022. Customers will need their Premium Bonds holder’s number to use the website and their NS&I number or holder’s number to check via the prize checker app. At the same time, they can check for any unclaimed prizes owed to them.
June 2022 prize draw breakdown
In the June 2022 prize draw, a total of 4,823,067 prizes worth £137,859,350 will be paid out. There were 118,165,160,763 Bond numbers eligible for the draw. Since the first draw in June 1957, ERNIE has drawn 567 million prizes with a total value of £23 billion.
| Value of prize | Number of prizes |
| £1,000,000 | 2 |
| £100,000 | 10 |
| £50,000 | 19 |
| £25,000 | 39 |
| £10,000 | 99 |
| £5,000 | 196 |
| £1,000 | 2,756 |
| £500 | 8,268 |
| £100 | 37,824 |
| £50 | 37,824 |
| £25 | 4,736,030 |
| Total
£137,859,350 |
Total
4,823,067 |
Want to know more about how NS&I works to support advisers?
Check out our interview with Andy Pike, Head of Intermediary Relationships at NS&I
