For years, winning a Publishers Clearing House (PCH) sweepstakes promised a life of steady, guaranteed payouts. Now, that dream has come to an abrupt end for some winners. As a result of the 72-year-old company filing for bankruptcy, longtime jackpot winners have stopped receiving their “lifetime” checks, leaving some scrambling to make sense of the sudden loss. In its heyday, PCH offered prizes from small gift cards to 30 years of weekly $5,000 checks. Check-carrying employees — called the Prize Patrol — would show up to surprise winners who had beaten the game’s one-in-six-million odds for the top prize. Former jackpot winner John Wyllie, who has received annual $260,000 checks since 2013 says the news feels like a nightmare. The Oregon man was told the checks would continue to be direct deposited for 18 more years. Wyllie, who has been retired since he won, said he had to sell his jet ski and trailer to make ends meet. Now he’s struggling to find a job. Wyllie isn’t alone — bankruptcy documents show that at least 10 other former winners have been cut off from their scheduled checks. Former PCH Senior Vice President Darrell Lester said, “I’m angry at the individual who changed the payout for us several years ago.” According to Lester, when he worked for PCH the company secured funds by making long-term investments, which guaranteed that the company would always have payments for its winners. He said after he left the company they stopped investing the cash and jumped into debt to the tune of $40 million. His message to lottery players: “I would never, ever take a 30-year payout.” In July, online gaming company ARB Interactive bought PCH’s branding out of bankruptcy for $7 million. The company says the decision to cut off winner payments was made before ARB bought PCH. They have promised that they will revive the brand’s image and guarantee any future winners that they will get their money. They won’t, however, be going back and paying $20 to $25 million to the prior winners.
