Ernie celebrates his 55th birthday

ERNIE, the Premium Bonds winning numbers generator, celebrates his 55th anniversary today. Since he drew the first Premium Bonds prize on 1 June 1957, ERNIE has created 269 millionaires and paid out over £13.9 billion worth of prizes. Over the years, ERNIE has received birthday and Valentines cards as well as lucky gifts such as holy water and poems.

A woman from Hereford and Worcester became ERNIE’s latest millionaire in the June 2012 draw. Her winning Bond number was 122GE922626 bought in January 2007. The customer holds £30,000 in Premium Bonds.

ERNIE has seen plenty of change in his 55 years: the top prize has changed from £1,000 to the current £1million jackpot, and while the first version of ERNIE, ERNIE 1 took up to 50 hours to complete a draw, today the latest model, ERNIE 4, takes around five hours.

The latest change to Premium Bonds was the launch of a service that enables Premium Bond holders to manage their Bonds online and by phone. Holders can sign up for these services at nsandi.com or by calling 0500 007 007. Savers can also opt to have any Premium Bond prizes they win paid directly into their UK bank account with notification of prize wins coming to them by email.

John Prout, Retail Customer Director, NS&I, said: “Over the years ERNIE has become a part of the fabric of British life with millions of Britons now holding Premium Bonds. He’s certainly moved with the times. We’re delighted that so many of our customers are now taking advantage of the new Premium Bond services , including having their prizes paid directly and immediately to their designated account.”