More than 100 countries around the world have bought the license and air local versions of the show, including Australia, Bulgaria, Germany, Poland, Russia, United States. The United States version became a big hit when Regis Philbin started hosting it in 1999. John Carpenter, a man who worked for the IRS, became the first person to win the grand prize of $1,000,000 in 1999. Philbin hosted the show until 2002. A syndicated version of the show has aired since 2002. It is hosted by Meredith Vieira.