From: "Virgils Ghost" 
Newsgroups: uk.finance
Subject: Re: That "squalid raffle" (aka Premium bonds) Times Sat 29 April 2006
Date: Mon, 01 May 2006 13:32:56 GMT

"Richard Buttrey"  wrote in 
message news:lhpb52p587dlll93qlnb15vkgi4mr4ml1j@4ax.com...
> On Sun, 30 Apr 2006 23:31:48 GMT, "Virgils Ghost"  wrote:
>
>>"Richard Buttrey"  wrote in
>>message
>><
>>> But the point is that there is no database.
>>> Just to check this I went to the following site.
>>>
>>> http://www.nsandi.com/products/pb/surprisingfacts.jsp
>>>
>>> where it makes quite clear that as I originally posted, numbers are
>>> generated randomly, not picked from a database pool. More numbers are
>>> drawn than prizes since some numbers will not have yet been issued,
>>> and some will have been cashed.
>>>
>>> So it seems fairly clear that all the system does is pick a number,
>>> then establish whether it's been cashed in or not yet issued.
>>
>>Precisely, and if your crumpled half-century old bond isn't registered in
>>the 'database' of active bonds it is simply passed over.
>
>
> But there isn't a database of active bonds.

So once the draw has been made how do they tie the winning numbers to 
*people*, 50000 civil servants each with a ledger?

Christ.