New Port Richey man wins big prize from Publishers Clearing House

NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. - Victor Solntzeff has been playing games and sweepstakes through Publishers Clearing House for 32 years.

For the first time, he finally won big on Monday.

"You see all these commercials. And you see everything on TV. People sit there, and they’re shocked and surprised. Believe me, I am shocked and surprised," Solntzeff said.

Founded in 1953, Publishers Clearing House (PCH) offers opportunities to win money through its online game network, social media, and apps. It has awarded over half a billion dollars in prizes, according to the company.

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On Monday, the PCH Prize Patrol surprised Solntzeff with a $25,000 check, balloons, roses, and champagne at his Pasco County home.

"This is quite big, really. Holding a check this size is just unbelievable," the New Port Richey resident told FOX 13.

Solntzeff said he plans to spend the money on bills and a trip to New York to see family.

"Every winning moment we have is special, but this was unusually emotional," Dave Sayer, executive director of Publishers Clearing House Prize Patrol, said. "To see all the tears and the happiness and the shock, it was really something. And they can really use the money, too."

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Sayer said he’s delivered over 600 prizes over almost 40 years.

"I never get tired of it," Sayer said with a smile.

According to PCH, its prizes are funded by company revenues, so "no purchase is ever necessary to enter and buying does not help one win."

Last year, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced PCH agreed to pay $18.5 million to provide refunds as the result of an FTC lawsuit, which claims PCH "misled people about how to enter the sweepstakes drawings."