Does anyone ever REALLY win??

[MooChops89]

I'm on Mat leave at the min and obviously have too much time on my hands as I entered one of the ITV comps the other week to win £200,000. I can only assume there's been a delay in them getting in touch with me to tell me I've won

Anyway, I'm actually quite cynical about the whole thing, probably just bitter, but I don't know if I believe that anyone really wins them. On their website there's a section where it says things like "Congratulations to Pauline from Essex who won £30,000 and a Mini Cooper" or some such, but how do we know they're real?
And when they have past "winners" on the ad for the competition - paid actors?

And don't get me started on the random tv ad competitions where you have to e.g. find the name of a soap hidden in the word search for £70,000.

Have any of you ever won a significant prize on a tv comp? Or are you all much too cool to enter them, unlike me

Personally I don't enter them, it seems like too much effort and I won't phone premium rate competition numbers as the only winners are the operators of the line and competition.

A mum from my kids school won £40000 from ITV a couple of years ago, so it does happen. I enter every now and then.

Yes I’ve known people who won. 10-15 years ago it was easy to win the ITV ones, if only it was now!

Acquaintance of mine won £30,000 in a radio competition.
Her very long-term relationship ended not long after. Her partner lost his job, they wasted the lot in a year, and split up.
I'd rather not win at that rate! They were a lovely couple too.

Not money, but I once won an all inclusive 17 night Mediterranean cruise through a phone in radio competition on Classic FM. I was convinced the whole thing was a fake until the moment we were actually able to board our cruise ship!

Yes I won a cookery book I wanted the aga

It would be illegal if someone didn't win. The prizes come from sponsorship and the exorbitant cost of the calls. They generate more money than is distributed to winners.

A friend of my sister has won 2 holidays, a new kitchen and a car. She enters a hell of a lot of competitions though, I think she does up to 50 a week, all free.

I'm pretty sure they are regulated in some way so there will have to be a winner.

I once worked with someone who won a fair bit on one of the morning phone in type ones, years ago so I don't remember the exact amount but it was £thousands

I loosely work in this field, people definitely win.

Well I stand corrected

Don't get me wrong I want the big prizes I used to enter take a break competition all the time never won a darn thing