# Have you or someone you know won the Publisher's Clearing House? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 29, 2008, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-or-someone-you-know-won-the-publishers-clearing-house/435518 "2008-01-29T22:40:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-or-someone-you-know-won-the-publishers-clearing-house/435518/1 "2008-01-29T22:40:48Z")
Do you know anyone who has won anything from Publisher’s Clearing House? My Dad used to enter all the time. It kind of made me sad then, but now I sometimes enter with him in my thoughts. I have never met anyone who has ever won anything. Still, someone must win, they show a winner every year (do they still do that?) ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-or-someone-you-know-won-the-publishers-clearing-house/435518/2 "2008-01-30T01:18:41Z")
I do not know anyone else who enters besides me but I do not buy any magazines or other stuff. The last one I entered was about 2 weeks ago and the prize is $5000 a week for the rest of my life. I didn’t buy anything either this time so I probably will not win again. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-or-someone-you-know-won-the-publishers-clearing-house/435518/3 "2008-01-30T01:26:02Z")
[QUOTE=Tahssa] I didn’t buy anything either this time so I probably will not win again. ☹ [/QUOTE] Basing the odds of winning a private sweepstakes on purchases is very much illegal so I doubt they engage in it. ---
**Author:** ![Paragod22510](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b5ac83/32.png) [@Paragod22510](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paragod22510)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-or-someone-you-know-won-the-publishers-clearing-house/435518/4 "2008-01-30T01:26:42Z")
Its all a scam. The people that win are always hella old. $5,000 for the rest of their life always looks like its only gonna be a week or 2. I stick to the Mega Millions and Powerball. My odds are better. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Charger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df788c/32.png) [@Charger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charger)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-or-someone-you-know-won-the-publishers-clearing-house/435518/5 "2008-01-30T01:32:37Z")
[QUOTE=Paragod22510] Its all a scam. The people that win are always hella old. $5,000 for the rest of their life always looks like its only gonna be a week or 2. [/QUOTE] I should run a scam like that. The only difference is, mine would have a big surprise party for the winner. ---
**Author:** ![bauble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f6c823/32.png) [@bauble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bauble)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-or-someone-you-know-won-the-publishers-clearing-house/435518/6 "2008-01-30T21:57:50Z")
I knew two (married) teachers in college that won ($5 million, IIRC). Didn’t seem to change either of them, except that the one offered $100 to anyone who got 100% on his final (those tests had always been tough). ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-or-someone-you-know-won-the-publishers-clearing-house/435518/7 "2008-01-30T22:25:31Z")
I don’t even get mailed entries. What’s the matter? I’m not good enough for your sweepstakes? Lousy bastards! ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-or-someone-you-know-won-the-publishers-clearing-house/435518/8 "2008-01-30T22:27:12Z")
well, I MAY already be a winner. Does that count? ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-or-someone-you-know-won-the-publishers-clearing-house/435518/9 "2008-01-30T23:22:35Z")
[QUOTE=DocCathode] I don’t even get mailed entries. What’s the matter? I’m not good enough for your sweepstakes? Lousy bastards! [/QUOTE] I don’t eiether. I now enter online at www-pch-com. ---
**Author:** ![SomeUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e480ec/32.png) [@SomeUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SomeUserName)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2008, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-or-someone-you-know-won-the-publishers-clearing-house/435518/10 "2008-01-31T12:00:13Z")
In the sprirt of the thread has anyone seen someone they didn’t know win? Does that van actually show up and surprise people? Did the lady down the street win and you saw the balloons and the guy in the suit handing her the cardboard check? Did you hear the screams of surprise? The commercials crack me up as 50% of the people look like they are dressed up and the other 50% look like a fake attempt to make it appear they were in the middle of house cleaning. ---
**Author:** ![fisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@fisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fisha)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2008, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-or-someone-you-know-won-the-publishers-clearing-house/435518/11 "2008-01-31T14:29:21Z")
My parents won like 10 bucks one time, long long ago. No Ed McMahon, though. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2008, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-or-someone-you-know-won-the-publishers-clearing-house/435518/12 "2008-01-31T15:36:53Z")
I won many years ago, when I was a kid and probably to young to actually enter, but they sent me the thing and I sent it in. In fact I won two years in a row, One year I won some crappy little pendant thing that may have been worth $1.50 , The next year I won too, and I can not remember what I got, but I remember it was worth maybe about 5 bucks.