The first winning Bond number drawn was 461RN328709 and belongs to a winner in South Yorkshire.

They hold a modest £4,625 in Premium Bonds and bought the winning number in July 2021. This latest win makes them the seventeenth Premium Bonds jackpot millionaire from the Yorkshire region.

Meanwhile, the second winning Bond number drawn was 399PD449641 and the winner comes from Wiltshire. They hold the maximum £50,000 deposit and bought their winning Bond in June 2020.

They are the tenth Premium Bonds jackpot millionaire from Wiltshire.

For the New Year January 2023 draw, there were nearly five million prizes up for grabs, worth nearly £300m.

It comes after last month, NS&I – the Government’s savings arm – announced the Premium Bonds prize fund rate would be increased from 2.2% to 3%, adding £80m to the prize pot.

The odds of each £1 Bond number winning a prize has also improved from 34,500 to one in May 2022, to 24,000 to one now.

However, there were 119.6 billion Bond numbers eligible for the draw, and since the first draw in July 1957, ERNIE (Electronic Random Number Indicator Equipment) has drawn 601 million prizes with a total value of £24.4bn.

‘A wonderful way to start 2023’

Jill Waters, NS&I retail director, said: “A huge congratulations to our two Premium Bonds jackpot winners from South Yorkshire and Wiltshire – and to everyone else who won prizes ranging from £100,000 to £25. This is such a great way to start the New Year and we wish our winners all the best for 2023 and beyond.

“We’re seeing in the New Year right with a boost to the Premium Bonds prize fund rate to 3% – the highest it’s been in 14 years. This means a bigger prize pot and more higher value prizes that all Premium Bonds customers have a chance to win – a wonderful way to start 2023. This month’s prize draw sees a record of nearly £300m worth of prizes up for grabs.”

Unclaimed Premium Bonds prizes

Premium Bonds prize winners are notified when they win a prize, but sometimes people move or change their contact details without letting NS&I know. This can lead to unclaimed prizes if they have opted to receive their prize by cheque.

In South Yorkshire, there are 20,225 unclaimed prizes worth £617,125. The largest unclaimed prize is £10,000 and is from the September 2019 prize draw. The oldest unclaimed prize in South Yorkshire is from November 1957 and is worth £25.

In Wiltshire, there are 20,587 unclaimed prizes worth £604,475. £5,000 is the largest unclaimed prize in Wiltshire and is from the October 2014 prize draw. The oldest unclaimed prize is from February 1961 and is worth £25.

To avoid missing out on a win, opt to have prizes paid directly into a bank account or automatically reinvested into more Premium Bonds.

NS&I added that getting prizes paid directly is also quicker and more secure, with more than nine in ten prizes now paid this way.

To check if you may have an unclaimed Premium Bonds prize, see NS&I’s online prize checker or the prize checker app.

Let us know below in Disqus if you have discovered a historic win!