Publishers Clearing House Acquired by Online Sweepstakes Casino Company
Posted on: June 23, 2025, 10:53h.
Last updated on: June 24, 2025, 09:56h.
- Publishers Clearing House has been acquired
- ARB Interactive, the buyer, runs online sweepstakes games
- ARB is paying more than $7.1 million for PCH
Publishers Clearing House (PCH) has a new owner in ARB Interactive, a Miami-based online sweepstakes gaming company best known for its Modo Casino.

Founded in 1953 as a door-to-door magazine subscription service that entered subscribers into its widely known sweepstakes promotions where winners were surprised with doorstep checks from the Prize Patrol ranging from $1,000 to $10 million, PCH went belly up in April two years after the company agreed to an order from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to overhaul its sweepstakes entry and sales processes, stop surprise fees, and to pay $18.5 million to affected consumers.
ARB is paying $7.1 million in cash and will cover approximately $378K in outstanding expenses. The Wall Street Journal first reported on the PCH acquisition.
Pending court approval, we’re excited to begin this next chapter and deliver an experience that honors the legacy of the brand while earning the trust of a new generation of players,” said Patrick Fechtmeyer, the co-founder and CEO of ARB Interactive.
ARB’s Modo Casino is a free-to-play social casino that uses several celebrities’ likenesses to market its online operation, including Snoop Dogg and John Daly. In addition to social gaming, Modo offers a secondary digital token — Sweeps Coins — that can be used to win cash prizes.
Social Sweeps Controversy
No topic has garnered more controversy in the United States gaming industry of late than social sweepstakes. Proponents of the apps and sites claim they run amusement entertainment games, but the secondary currency element has made plenty of critics who contend the businesses violate state and federal gaming laws.
On the Modo website, the fine print reads, “Modo is a play-for-fun website intended for amusement purposes only. Modo does not offer ‘real-money gambling.'”
State gaming regulators, attorneys general, and lawmakers across the country continue to crack down on online sweeps casinos. Cease-and-desist letters have been sent and new laws explicitly banning online sweepstakes promotions have found favor in state legislatures.
Aligning with PCH, a brand most people over the age of 30 are familiar with, could give ARB Interactive and Modo Casino a bit of credence to their operations and claims that it is not a real-money iGaming operation. Fechtmeyer says ARB is committed to “digitally transforming the business through mobile-first, interactive, and free-to-play games enhanced by the power of sweepstakes and prizes.”
PCH Controversy
The FTC’s probe into Publishers Clearing House determined that many consumers wrongly thought that the more they purchased, the better their odds were of having the Prize Patrol come knock on their door. The FTC’s complaint charged that PCH used “dark patterns” to mislead consumers into thinking a purchase was necessary to win or would increase their chances of winning.
The FTC also alleged that PCH had surprise shipping and handling fees that made the subscription price considerably more expensive than advertised.
“Many consumers affected by these practices were older and lower-income,” the FTC said in June 2023.
Last Comments ( 24 )
I have nearly 1.5B in worthless tokens. Do I get $0.00001 per token? Right.
Fantastic comments so far. 10/10. No notes.
I have also been playing for over 20yrs and the only money I won was 5 dollars. It's very bad when you think your going to win something besides tokens. .
I have been playing since 1987. I won $1000 in 2007, $5 last year, and $10 the year before. I guess thats it for me.
Interesting I've been playing purses Clearing House for 46 years never want a thing. I still enter a pch.com. and they send me entries via email everyday. I often wonder the people that win are relatives laugh out loud yes it would be nice to actually win cuz I sure could use it all I can say is I'm dedicated
Charlene Warren Wow I've been playing with PCH since 2007. I've never won nothing. But I see younger people winning big prizes. I really don't think that's fair. Look at the years I've been entering every day. But God has the last word.
I have been a PCH customer since 2012. I had made quite a few purchases in hopes of winning the jackpot prize. To no avail to win the prize the purchases were useless. I still put in daily entries in hopes of winning on the PCH APP. Now I will end Uninstaller the app.
I never won 10,000,a million or more with PCH long as I been playing & chances are even slimmer with an online sweeps casino buying them out! Have y'all played online slots lately
I have been playing for years and never won. Now "it " has been acquired by a place that does not/not always give real money....well, I may never see $10 mil. in my hands..... . I liked having the option to mail (postal) in my chances...not everyone my age wants to buy a computer, pay for subscription to internet to play. Bums....
I've won 5 dollars two or three times in twenty something years, I wished they'd convince Danielle Lam to return She brought the sparkle to PCH
I've been playing since 1972 while in college. When the internet site launched, I was thrilled ti not need postage stamp anymore. Best wishes and good luck to the new owners. I've won $5 two times. Hopefully next win gets the prize patrol to my front door
So looks like PCH is up under new ownership. I just may have a winning chance now I’ve been playing since 2004. I don’t understand why my number is never! Came up I once received a $10 check and a five dollar check hopefully I will win a big check with new management. I will continue to play. Maybe the system needed to be rebooted.
I received a $100 check from PCH last month in the mail. It was a nice surprise.
There goes the last 42 years of entering PCH, playing their games, and buying cheap products that mostly broke. I used to love entering but you think in 42 years my number would have come up for something. Now I'm old, disabled since 2010 in constant pain. I'm not starting all over with a new owner! Thanks for nothing PCH! I want my money back!
Yes , why don't anyone ever!!! Win from our town