The Biggest Sweepstakes Winners Ever

The biggest sweepstakes winners in American history are not lottery millionaires or game show contestants — they are ordinary people who opened their front door to a Publishers Clearing House camera crew and were told the money would never stop. For decades, PCH built its brand on that promise: $5,000 a week, forever. And for years, the checks really did arrive.

Then, in April 2025, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. What happened next turned some of the biggest sweepstakes winners in the country into unsecured creditors in a bankruptcy case. Their prizes were real. Their wins were legitimate. The payments stopped anyway.

This is the full story, drawn from CNN Business, KGW-TV’s investigation, Federal Trade Commission records, and Publishers Clearing House’s own winner announcements. It covers who won, how much, and — the part most articles skip — what happened afterward.

Who the biggest sweepstakes winners actually are

Publishers Clearing House has run consumer sweepstakes since 1967, according to the company. Its headline awards fell into two families: one-time SuperPrizes, and lifetime or “Forever” prizes paid as annuities. The lifetime awards are what produced the biggest sweepstakes winners by total value, because a weekly payment compounded over decades far outruns a single seven-figure check.

The math is simple. A $5,000 weekly prize works out to roughly $260,000 a year. Paid over twenty or thirty years, that is a multimillion-dollar award — delivered in slices, from a private company’s balance sheet, rather than all at once.

That structure is exactly why the story took the turn it did.

John Wyllie: the first “Forever” winner

According to Publishers Clearing House’s own blog, John Wyllie was the first person to win the company’s $5,000 a week “Forever” prize, awarded in 2012. PCH quoted him at the time saying, “I never would have thought in a million or two million or three millions years this could happen.”

For twelve years, it worked. KGW-TV reported that every January, PCH deposited a prize payment of $260,000 into Wyllie’s bank account. He is 61, and KGW reported the annual payment was his only source of income.

In 2025, the deposit never arrived. KGW reported that Wyllie, out of the workforce for more than a decade, has since had trouble finding a well-paying job.

Sherwin Baboolal and the 2022 Forever Prize

In March 2022, Publishers Clearing House announced that Sherwin Baboolal, an immigrant from Trinidad living in an apartment in Queens, New York, had won the Forever Prize. Under the terms PCH described, he would receive $5,000 a week for life, and afterward a person of his choosing would receive $5,000 a week for theirs.

PCH’s announcement said Baboolal had broken his leg in an accident and had it amputated, and had been unable to work since. He accepted a $5,000 cash payment and a check for $50,000 on camera. The company reported he planned to buy a vehicle equipped for his disability, take his first vacation, and move somewhere warmer with his mother.

What the bankruptcy did to the biggest sweepstakes winners

Publishers Clearing House filed for Chapter 11 protection in April 2025. Trade coverage from ABF Journal reported the company entered bankruptcy with about $490,000 in cash against roughly $40 million owed to employees, vendors, service providers, and landlords, with debtor-in-possession financing arranged to keep operating.

In June, mobile gaming company ARB Interactive won the auction for PCH’s assets. CNN Business reported that under the sale agreement, ARB would not honor payouts to people who won before July 15, 2025. That single date separated the biggest sweepstakes winners who kept getting paid from those who did not.

CNN reported that ARB said it is “committed to restoring and preserving the trust” and would set up a payment structure separate from the company so that future PCH prizes are honored regardless of ARB’s financial condition. That commitment does not reach backward.

The winners left holding claims

Wyllie was not alone. CNN reported that Matthew and Tamar Veatch, disabled veterans who won the same $5,000-a-week prize in 2001, told CNN affiliate KGW that they still have military pensions to cover their bills, but that the budget would suddenly be very tight. KGW reported that at least ten past prize winners had gone unpaid.

In bankruptcy, these winners are unsecured creditors. That is the lowest-priority category — behind secured lenders and certain other claims. Bankruptcy specialists interviewed by KGW said the winners likely will not recover the full amounts they were promised.

Nothing about their wins was in question. The awards were announced publicly by the company, on video, with the Prize Patrol at the door.

Taxes, scams, and the real PCH

Two other threads run through the story of the biggest sweepstakes winners, and both are worth understanding on their own terms.

The first is tax. The IRS treats prizes and awards as taxable income, and Publication 525 explains that when a prize is goods or services rather than cash, the fair market value goes into income. Sponsors also have information-reporting obligations, and backup withholding at 24% can apply when a winner does not supply the required taxpayer information. How any of this applies to a specific person depends on their situation — IRS.gov and a licensed tax professional are the right places for that.

The second is imposters. The FTC’s consumer advice pages are direct: real prizes are free, and anyone demanding a payment for “taxes,” shipping, or processing fees to release your winnings is running a scam. Scammers have long used the PCH name without any connection to the company. The FTC also notes it does not certify or verify prizes, and no FTC employee will call asking you to send money.

Separately, the FTC brought its own case against Publishers Clearing House. In June 2023, the agency announced the company would pay $18.5 million and overhaul its entry process; the FTC alleged PCH used “dark patterns” that led consumers to believe purchases were required to enter or improve their odds. PCH settled. The FTC later reported sending refund checks to 281,724 consumers, issued April 30, 2025.

What winners can learn from this

These stories point to a few plain facts, not advice.

• A lifetime prize is a promise from a company, not a guaranteed fund. When PCH’s annuity payments came from company operations, the company’s solvency became part of the prize.
• Bankruptcy law sorts claims by priority. Prize winners with future payments owed to them landed in the unsecured tier, as CNN and KGW reported.
• Official rules govern the terms. Whether payments are funded through a purchased annuity or paid directly by a sponsor is spelled out in the rules document, not the announcement video.
• The tax treatment is set by federal law, and IRS.gov is the authoritative source for how prize income is reported.
• Legitimate sponsors never charge a fee to release a prize, per the FTC.

The biggest sweepstakes winners in the country did everything right. They entered free sweepstakes, they won, and they were paid — until a corporate bankruptcy changed what “forever” meant.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who are the biggest sweepstakes winners in US history?

By total value, the biggest sweepstakes winners are Publishers Clearing House lifetime and “Forever” prize recipients, whose $5,000-a-week awards equal roughly $260,000 a year. John Wyllie, announced by PCH as the first Forever winner in 2012, is among the best documented.

Did Publishers Clearing House winners actually get paid?

Yes, for years. KGW reported Wyllie received $260,000 each January for twelve years. CNN reported that after the April 2025 Chapter 11 filing and the sale to ARB Interactive, prizes awarded before July 15, 2025 were not honored by the buyer.

Are sweepstakes winnings taxable?

The IRS treats prizes and awards as taxable income, and Publication 525 explains that non-cash prizes are included at fair market value. Reporting and withholding rules vary by prize type and amount. Check IRS.gov or a tax professional for your own situation.

How can you tell a real sweepstakes win from a scam?

The FTC says legitimate prizes are free — if anyone asks for a fee, taxes upfront, or your account details to release winnings, it is a scam. Imposters have used the PCH name for years without any tie to the company.

Know the Rules Where You Live

Sweepstakes and prize rules change from state to state — what a sponsor can offer, how prizes are handled, and what protections you have. Pick your state to see the exact rules that apply where you live.

See Sweepstakes Laws in All 50 States →

Sources & How to Verify

The facts on this page are drawn from official government and primary sources. Rules and figures change, so always confirm the current details with the official agency or the promotion’s own published rules.

• FTC Consumer Advice: consumer.ftc.gov — prize, sweepstakes, and lottery scam guidance
• IRS: irs.gov — how prizes and winnings are treated as income
• Social Security Administration: ssa.gov — what SSI recipients must report
• The promotion’s official rules: every legitimate sweepstakes publishes them — the rules page is always the final word

Content last reviewed August 2026. If you notice outdated information, please contact us.

Related Guides

• Sweepstakes Laws by State (50-State Guide)
• More in This Category
• Sweepstakes Resources
• Scam Checks
• Sweepstakes Tax Calculator
• All Active Sweepstakes

Informational only — not legal, tax, or financial advice. Win Big Daily is an independent educational resource. Prize rules, tax treatment, and benefit-program requirements vary by state and program and change over time, so always verify the current details with the official agency, the promotion’s published rules, or a qualified professional before acting. If a topic involves government benefits, contact the program office about your specific situation.