Publisher’s Clearinghouse Makes Pasadena Couple’s Day With $10,000 Check

Pasadenan Marjorie Royalty-Ward knew something was up when she peeked out her window Friday and saw the camera crew.

“I recognize you!” she told Publisher’s Clearinghouse Sweepstakes spokesperson Danielle Lam excitedly. “I’ve seen you on all the videos.”

Royalty-Ward and her husband Dennis Ward had just won a surprise $10,000 check from the famous Sweepstakes.

Lam, by her own estimate, has handed out probably $200 million in checks to lucky sweepstakes winners all across the country over the last 12 years.

“People are winning prizes every day,” Lam said before the check presentation.

“I love doing this,’ Lam laughed. “This is the best job in the world!” Hard to argue with her there.

Asked how they would spend their winnings, both Marjorie and Dennis said immediately, “Bills!”

‘We need to get our cars fixed,” said Dennis.

According to the Publisher’s Clearinghouse website, the company was founded in 1953 by Harold and LuEsther Mertz, and has become known for its Prize Patrol surprising winners on their doorsteps with oversized checks in amounts anywhere from $1,000 to millions of dollars while TV cameras are rolling.

Over its history, the company has awarded over $527 million in prizes and has evolved to greatly expand its offerings to include many more ways to win online and through social media and mobile access. The company now has more than 5 million daily visits, 2 billion monthly page views and a prize winner somewhere in the world about every 10 minutes.

And Marjorie, who does all the sweepstakes and lottery work for herself and her husband, is now riding a bit of a lucky streak. Just three years ago, she said, on a gas station stop with her boss, she bought a lottery ticket, which turned out to be a $50,000 winner, which she split with her boss, and three other winners.

Husband Dennis has still been naturally skeptical over the years, and has admittedly suggested once or twice that perhaps she spend less time at the sweepstakes game.

“This is one time I love being wrong!” he said, drolly. And now Marjorie has 10,000 more reasons to believe that.