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Media centre /
Press release£1 MILLION PREMIUM BONDS JACKPOT GOES TO WARWICKSHIRE WINNER03 March 2005Winning Bond number 27RN739758 The winner of March’s £1 million tax-free Premium Bond jackpot prize is a female pensioner from Warwickshire and they become ERNIE’s 132nd millionaire. The winning number is 27RN739758 and was bought in February 1994. The winner holds £2,575 in Premium Bonds. The winner – whose identity is kept a closely-guarded secret – said: “I am absolutely over the moon. It’s such an incredible surprise, I really never imagined I would ever win so much money. I’ve had a few small wins over the years, but you never think you’re going to be the one who gets the jackpot, especially if you only have a little investment, like me. “I think the first thing I’ll do is pay off the mortgage and then, who knows? Maybe a long holiday, we’ll see.” The winner was told last night in person by Agent Million, the mystery person who pays a personal visit to the winner to give them the good news. Regional facts This is Warwickshire’s second £1 million Premium Bond jackpot winner since the top prize was introduced in 1994. In Warwickshire, 229,896 people own Premium Bonds worth over £289 million. There are approximately 7500 unclaimed prizes in the county, worth almost £450,000. March’s draw is the biggest ever, with ERNIE giving away over one million prizes worth over £69 million. Number and value of prizes awarded in March 2005 £1million 1 Prize value Number of prizes Premium Bonds facts The current prize fund rate is 3.20%, equivalent to 4.00% p.a. gross for a basic rate tax payer and 5.33% p.a. gross for a higher rate tax payer, while the odds of winning are 24,000 to 1 and, with average luck, an investor with £30,000 in Premium Bonds can expect to win 15 tax-free prizes a year – more than one a month. The popularity of Premium Bonds has grown dramatically over the past five years as the amount invested has doubled to over £25 billion. Premium Bonds can be bought online at www.nsandi.com, by telephone on 0500 007 007, by post and over the counter at Post Office branches. Like all NS&I products, Premium Bonds offer investors 100% security, backed by HM Treasury, as well as the sense of fun that comes from winning tax free prizes. Since the first draw in 1957, ERNIE – Electronic Random Number Indicator Equipment – has given away almost 120 million prizes worth over £7.6 billion. Prizes range from £50 to £1 million. There is currently £23.6 million in unclaimed prizes. There is no time limit on claiming prizes. Premium Bond investors can check to see if they have won by logging on to www.nsandi.com and using the Premium Bond prize checker. ENDS Notes to Editors 1. Pictures of ERNIE (including the new ERNIE 4 machine), Agent Million and buying Premium Bonds online are available in high-resolution jpeg format from the NS&I media team. 2. Further information on National Savings and Investments (NS&I), including press releases and product information, is available on the website at www.nsandi.com. You can also contact the NS&I media team. 3. NS&I has a number of spokespeople available for interviews and our experienced radio team is available via our ISDN line: 020 7602 4522.
Media team The numbers below are for media use only. Customers wishing to contact NS&I can find details here.
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