Lucky Lancashire Premium Bonds winner scoops £1million jackpot

A new Premium Bonds millionaire has been crowned in Lancashire after scooping the first jackpot of 2022.
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The lucky winner became an instant millionaire after Bond number 127VF63097 was selected by ERNIE (Electronic Random Number Indicator Equipment) yesterday (January 4).

National Savings and Investments - the government agency which runs the lottery from its office in Blackpool - said the winner holds £30,000 in Premium Bonds and purchased their winning Bond in May 2007.

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They become the fourteenth Premium Bonds millionaire from Lancashire and the second jackpot winner from the county in consecutive months.

The lucky Lancashire winner became an instant millionaire after Bond number 127VF63097 was selected by ERNIE yesterday (January 4)The lucky Lancashire winner became an instant millionaire after Bond number 127VF63097 was selected by ERNIE yesterday (January 4)
The lucky Lancashire winner became an instant millionaire after Bond number 127VF63097 was selected by ERNIE yesterday (January 4)

Jill Waters, NS&I retail director, said: "A massive congratulations to our Premium Bonds jackpot winners in Lancashire and Hertfordshire. It’s a brilliant start to the New Year and we wish them all the best for 2022 and beyond.

"We would also like to wish all of our customers a Happy New Year, with the start of 2022 being the perfect time to start a new savings habit.

"Customers can invest in Premium Bonds from just £25 and can even set up a standing order via their bank to help them save regularly and build up a savings pot."

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Another £1million prize was awarded to a second jackpot winner from Hertfordshire, who holds £50,000 in Premium Bonds and purchased the winning Bond in October 2015.

Money box shaped like ERNIE. Pic credit: Geni, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsMoney box shaped like ERNIE. Pic credit: Geni, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Money box shaped like ERNIE. Pic credit: Geni, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

They become the fourteenth millionaire chosen by ERNIE from Hertfordshire.

Aside from the two new millionaires, there were over 3.3 million other prizes paid out at the start of 2022, worth between £25 and £100,000.

ERNIE 5, the latest model, was brought into service in March 2019, and is a quantum random number generator built by ID Quantique.

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It uses quantum technology to produce random numbers through light, replacing the former 'thermal noise' method. Running at speeds 21,000 times faster than the first ERNIE, it can produce 3 million winners in just 12 minutes each month.

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Are you one of the lucky winners?

Premium Bonds holders can check to see if they have won a prize in January’s prize draw by using the nsandi.com prize checker, official prize checker app or their Alexa-enabled device from today (Wednesday, January 5 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.

January 2022 prize draw breakdown

In the January 2022 prize draw, a total of 3,352,872 prizes worth £96,395,075 will be paid out.

There were 115,674,095,010 Bond numbers eligible for the draw. Since the first draw in June 1957, ERNIE has drawn 549 million prizes with a total value of £22.5 billion.