Publishers Clearing House Winner Might Lose Home Despite $5K Weekly Prize

John Wyllie, a recipient of the Publishers Clearing House (PCH) “$5,000 A Week Forever” prize, has stepped forward, revealing to the media that his supposedly lifelong guaranteed payments have also come to an unexpected end following PCH’s bankruptcy and subsequent purchase by another company.

Publishers Clearing House Winner Speaks Out

In 2012, John Wyllie was surprised by a visit from the PCH Prize Patrol at his Oregon home. Then 48 years old, he was informed that he had won the “$5,000 A Week Forever” sweepstakes. With the prize amounting to $260,000 annually before taxes, Wyllie believed he was financially set for life and says he has since lived a relatively carefree lifestyle, buying a house in scenic Bellingham, Washington. 

However, the checks recently stopped after Publishers Clearing House went bankrupt in the spring. Since his income source has stopped, Wyllie has faced financial troubles. He described the situation as feeling like a nightmare, saying that he believed the payments would continue for the rest of his life and therefore hadn’t worried much about money. He asked why he wasn’t warned by PCH that this could happen after the bankruptcy. Wyllie also added that he’s now at risk of losing his home and is currently surviving on what little savings he has left.

Can Anything Be Done for the Affected?

According to a KGW8 report, Wyllie is one of at least ten winners who are still owed money they will likely never receive. For example, last month, we covered the situation of a disabled Army veteran couple, Tamar and Matthew Veatch, who also counted on their winnings from PCH to sustain themselves, but also faced a similar situation to Wyllie, following the company’s bankruptcy.

The issue stems from ARB Interactive, which purchased Publishers Clearing House for $7.1 million and announced it would only honor prizes awarded after it took over in July. For earlier winners still awaiting payments, The Wall Street Journal reported that they will have to seek payment from the bankruptcy estate.

According to Andrea Coles-Bjerre, a law professor at the University of Oregon, it’s unlikely these winners will ever be paid. She explained that they’ll be treated as unsecured creditors, effectively competing for funds that no longer exist.

PCH’s downfall came after a steep decline in business following the pandemic. The company’s annual revenue plummeted from nearly $900 million before COVID to just over $180 million in 2024. Analysts attribute the collapse to increasing competition from major online retailers like Amazon, as well as an $18 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission in April. The settlement was due to deceptive marketing practices that misled consumers into believing they needed to make purchases to boost their chances of winning sweepstakes.