The Prize Bond Fund grew by 13.4 per cent to a record €1.65 billion, according to its 2012 annual report. Gross sales in 2012 were €352.6 million, with encashments of prize bonds during the year totalling €145.5 million. This led to a 13.9 per cent increase in the fund value to more than €1.65 billion, the highest in the history of the prize bond scheme. Prizes won by prize bond customers also reached a record high of €46 million, an increase of 9.6 per cent on 2011, the highest value of prizes in any year to date. The number of cash prizes won by customers was 438,682, the largest number in the 55 years the prize bonds scheme has been running, up 13.9 per cent on 2011. Some 365,870 prize bonds were purchased last year, up almost 8 per cent on 2011.
The unit price of a bond is €6.25, with a minimum purchase of four units, at a total cost of €25.
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