New data has pinpointed the UK regions where savers have the best chance of landing a major windfall in the monthly Premium Bonds prize draw. For the second-largest prize on offer, one area has emerged as statistically the most fortunate.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Lead for £100,000 Wins
Hampshire and the Isle of Wight is officially the luckiest region for winning the £100,000 Premium Bonds prize. According to an analysis of NS&I data from 2025, this region produced 42 winners of the six-figure sum. This translates to roughly one £100,000 winner for every 118 square kilometres.
Nationally, NS&I awarded 943 of these £100,000 prizes throughout the year. This means savers in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight secured an impressive 4.5 per cent of all top-tier prizes awarded in 2025.
The UK's Premium Bonds Prize Hotspots
The data reveals a clear picture of where the highest-value prizes have been concentrated. Following Hampshire's lead, other regions also proved fortunate for bondholders aiming for a major payout.
The top five regions for £100,000 Premium Bonds prizes in 2025 were:
- Hampshire and the Isle of Wight - 42 winners
- Essex - 37 winners
- Outer London - 32 winners
- Kent - 27 winners
- Lancashire - 25 winners
The pattern shifts slightly for the £50,000 prize tier. Here, Essex took the top spot with 76 winners, followed closely by Hampshire and the Isle of Wight with 65. Kent (61), Surrey (59), and West Sussex (52) completed the top five for this prize level.
Understanding Your Real Odds of Winning
While the location data is intriguing, experts emphasise that the fundamental mechanics of Premium Bonds remain the same for all holders. NS&I Premium Bonds function as a savings account where interest is replaced by entries into a monthly prize draw. Each £1 bond has an equal chance, so holding more bonds increases your odds.
Financial journalist Martin Lewis of MoneySavingExpert.com provided crucial context on interpreting the advertised prize rate, currently 3.6%. He explained this is a "mean" average, describing the theoretical payout for every £100 invested.
"In fact the Premium Bond Probability Calculator shows if 20 people each had £100 invested for a year, for one to win £25+, the remaining 19 would have to win nothing," Lewis noted. He suggests the 'median' – the person halfway along the luck spectrum – offers a far better indication of what someone with typical luck might actually win, which is often nothing in a given year.
The revelation of regional hotspots offers a fascinating snapshot of where luck has struck hardest, but it does not change the random, electronic nature of the ERNIE draw. For savers, the key takeaway remains that more bonds mean more chances, regardless of postcode.
