Irish Prize Bonds
Prize Fund Trends
Every Prize Bond draw pays out a set list of prizes, but the size of the pot behind them isn't fixed: it is recalculated every month. This page tracks how the weekly prize fund has moved month by month across the 34 draws we have published since 27 February 2026, what the increase on 1 September 2026 changed, and how many prizes a typical draw pays. Every figure is calculated from the draw results on this site.
What the 1 September 2026 Increase Changed
The NTMA announced an increase to the rate used to calculate the monthly Prize Bond prize fund, with new prize tiers from 1 September 2026. Here is what that looks like in the results, comparing a regular draw in August 2026 (the last month before the increase) with a regular draw in October 2026 (the latest month since):
| Regular draw | August 2026 | October 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly prize fund | €724,400 | €1,137,300 | +57.0% |
| Prizes per draw | 8,633 | 9,924 | +15.0% |
| Top prize | €50,000 | €100,000 | +100% |
| Prizes of €1,000 or more | 21 | 51 | +143% |
| Smallest prize | €75 | €100 | +33% |
| Average prize | €84 | €115 | +36.6% |
| Top prize as a share of the fund | 6.9% | 8.8% | 1.9 points higher |
Of the extra €412,900 a week, €342,900 (83%) went into the smallest prize tier: 8,592 prizes of €75 became 9,873 prizes of €100. The number of €1,000+ prizes went from 21 to 51, and the top prize rose from €50,000 to €100,000. These are regular draws only; a jackpot draw adds one €500,000 prize on top.
Month by Month
In the 6 months before the increase (March 2026 to August 2026) the regular weekly fund fell from €732,800 to €724,400 (−1.1%). The fund is recalculated each month from the value of bonds outstanding and net sales — see How Prize Bonds Work — so small month-to-month steps are expected, and regular draws within a month normally share exactly the same fund.
| Month | Draws | Regular weekly fund | Change | Prizes per regular draw | Jackpot draw fund | Total prizes | Total fund |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 After increase (so far) | 3 | €1,137,300 | −0.3% | 9,924 | — | 29,772 | €3,411,900 |
| September 2026 After increase | 4 | €1,141,200 | +57.5% | 9,963 | €1,641,200 | 39,853 | €5,064,800 |
| August 2026 | 4 | €724,400 | −0.3% | 8,633 | €1,224,400 | 34,533 | €3,397,600 |
| July 2026 | 5 | €726,875 | −0.3% | 8,666 | €1,226,875 | 43,331 | €4,134,375 |
| June 2026 | 4 | €728,900 | −0.3% | 8,693 | €1,228,900 | 34,773 | €3,415,600 |
| May 2026 | 5 | €730,850 | −0.2% | 8,719 | €1,230,850 | 43,596 | €4,154,250 |
| April 2026 | 4 | €731,975 | −0.1% | 8,734 | €1,231,975 | 34,937 | €3,427,900 |
| March 2026 | 4 | €732,800 | — | 8,745 | €1,232,800 | 34,981 | €3,431,200 |
| February 2026 | 1 | — | — | — | €1,233,400 | 8,754 | €1,233,400 |
How to Read These Figures
- Prize fund is the total value of every prize paid in a draw. The weekly (regular) figure leaves out jackpot draws, which add one extra €500,000 prize.
- Change compares each month's regular weekly fund with the previous month that had a regular draw. The jump at the 1 September 2026 increase is a change to the scheme, not a normal month-to-month move.
- Partial months: we only count draws we have published, from 27 February 2026 onwards. The current month shows draws so far, and the first month may be incomplete. A month with only a jackpot draw has no regular figure.
- Altogether the 34 draws we have published paid 304,530 prizes worth €31,671,025. See how we source our data.
Related: where the prizes go, by county, the odds calculator and the draw archive.