STRICTLY BUSINESS: YOU HAVE WON BIG: OR HAVE YOU?

"You have the winning number. ... It's down to a 2-person race for $11,000,000."

That was enough to prompt me to open the envelope.

Inside, the news got even better. "You and one other person in Missouri were issued the winning number, MT708658963. Whoever returns it first can win it all."

Again, what luck! There's a mailbox just a block from my house. I'm sure to be a shoo-in.

---

"Your name has been drawn to receive one of three major prizes: A 1998 Chevrolet car, valued at $30,000, 10 one-day Family Holiday Packages, valued at $700, or a $500 cash prize. "Just call our appointment center and arrange a time for you and your spouse to visit and claim your prize." More goodies, just a phone call away.

---

"B. Owen, you are now on "Final Standby Alert" for the $10 million SuperPrize on Super Bowl Sunday." It's kickoff time on my road to riches.

---

And, on and on it goes.

What in the wide world of sweepstakes is going on?

Chances are about 10 million to 1 that you'll win a multimillion-dollar prize in this month's Publisher's Clearing House Sweepstakes drawing.

So, how did I come in line for such chances at these big prizes?

January is high season for sweepstakes, according to Consumer Reports magazine. Although there is no official estimate of how much sweepstakes mail is sent, it seems safe to say that the Big Three Sweepstakes companies -- American Family Publishers, Publishers Clearing House and Reader's Digest -- together send out hundreds of millions of letters each year.

They are legitimate

They're all legitimate, and the prizes will be presented.

But adjust your bifocals and read between the lines about your chances.

Like the American Family Publishers sweepstakes, which also includes some drawings for a number of checks, ranging from $1,000 to $25,000, in addition to an $11 million prize.

This year, we were named in two of the three biggies, and we did submit our entry for the $10 million Publisher's Clearing House sweeps. A few days later, we received a letter saying the name, B. Owen, is included in the final name selection for receipt of the $10 million.

In another round of the sweepstakes, we were requested to submit our "Prize Acceptance Affidavit," with a preference of payment -- by certified bank check, or direct deposit via electronics into my bank account. We had to call a family meeting on that one.

The "Superprize" winner will be drawn live on NBC TV, following the SuperBowl football game on Sunday.

Again, it is stressed that you don't have to purchase anything to be a winner.

"In fact," says David Sayer, executive director of the prize patrol, "past winners have admitted that they had not ordered anything." At least now, they can afford to.

Our latest correspondence came recently.

"B. Owen, you are now on Final Standby Alert to win the $10 million SuperPrize on SuperBowl Sunday, Jan. 25. There's no need to call me if you plan on being home on that date. But if you'll be elsewhere, it is important that you call me."

Hey, Mr. Sayer, I'll be home. I'll make sure I am not in the shower. Heck, if I am, I'll get out and answer the door anyway.

Publishers Clearing House covers all the bases. Included in the latest packet was an appointment confirmation card, granting permission for FPC to appear at my door with a television crew, soon after the 9 p.m. drawing.

Applying for some of the lower-amount prizes is also a long and confusing process.

'Buy a magazine'

Of course, the gist of the three biggie sweeps is to entice people to subscribe to one of more than 130 magazine publications offered by the companies.

And, of course, contestants are reminded to place entries in the fronts of the reply envelopes. "Be sure that it does not block the star-shaped cutouts that show us your magazine order," say the instructions. ... This is very important."

However, no purchase is necessary to enter or win. But if you are not ordering a magazine subscription, you return a 3-x-5 card, saying "No Order," along with the check entry, in your own envelop. Why?

This can lead to obvious assumptions that perhaps all those envelops are tossed out.

The officials of the contests say no. ... Some past winners can verify that.

And the more difficult it seems to enter a sweeps, the better your chances of winning, said Jeffrey Skier, publisher of Winning Sweepstakes Newsletter.

In one case, a contestant in the Reader's Digest Sweepstakes, received 20 more envelopes from the company within the next six months.

Sweepstakes can be fun, and they are a useful way for organizations to market merchandise. They also have resulted in the largest number of complaints from consumers who have called the National Fraud Information Center, since it opened in 1992.

Some complaints have also been reported to the U.S. Postal Service.

Many -- probably most -- sweeps are legal. Here are just a few important factors that do make a sweepstakes legitimate.

-- You don't have to purchase anything to enter.

-- You don't have to pay up-front taxes, delivery charges or judging fees.

-- You don't have to call a 900-number before collecting a prize.

-- You don't have to divulge your credit-card or bank-account number.

Chance of winning big small

Whatever the sweepstakes, your chances of winning big are small.

The odds that an individual piece of mail in Reader's Digest's 1998 $1 million "President's Prize" sweepstakes, holds the winning number is "one in 600 million."

Despite the odds, people do keep entering -- and some do win.

During the 20 years that Daniel Rogers has been entering sweepstakes, he won a camper, T-shirts and other smaller prizes. But in 1995, Rogers was awarded a $10 million grand prize by American Family Publishers. He had not purchased a magazine. Rogers, 51, retired from his job as a floor supervisor at a casino after he found out he would be getting $333,000 a year for 30 years.

Another person -- Anita Hodgkins of New Hampshire, who produces a newsletter about sweepstakes -- says she wins about $35,000 a year in money and prizes from sweepstakes, entering about 40 sweepstakes a day.

A lot of stamps

That piles up some costs -- $12.80 a day in stamps -- and a lot of time. But she has won as many as four cars in a year. She also has won plenty of less glamorous prizes.

So before entering a sweeps, read the rules. The directions for entering sometimes appear confusing -- and they usually are. And if you can't find the odds, don't enter.

If you do decide to play, stick with the sweepstakes run by companies with names you recognize and have prizes you want to win.

If you're suspicious, check the company's reputation with the Better Business Bureau. If you feel you've being scammed, call the consumer protection office of your state attorney general, or call the National Fraud Information Center.,

How can American Family Publishers, Reader's Digest and Publishers Clearing House afford to give away so much money?

Simple. They sell a lot of magazine subscriptions.

There are differences in a sweepstakes, skill contest, and lottery.

Sweepstakes: You have a chance to win a prize without having to know anything or pay anything.

Skill contest: You must answer a question or pass a skill test, and a winner may not be selected by chance. And you may have pay an entry fee or purchase some merchandise.

Lottery: You have to pay to have a chance at winning a prize. Lotteries are legal only if they are run by state or certain charitable organizations.

Good luck!

B. Ray Owen is business editor for the Southeast Missourian.