People can want a change without having to stop playing the lottery. There is nothing wrong with trying to change the system. Also, coming into millions of dollars and earning it slowly is totally different. For some reason, some people think that it is ok to harass or beg lottery winners for their money because it wasn't really earned. So no, I don't see it as being the same.

I did not compare a trust to a corporation.  I am not an attorney and would never say which is better for any particular person.  I compared claiming the prize as "Joe Citizen" vs. claiming as a corp.

Also, I don't see anything here that impacts the corporation that claimed the previous jackpot.  You are comparing apples and oranges.

People have every right to try to protect themselves from thieves, credit hounds, and unscrupulous service providers.

It was smarter (or maybe just luckier)  to use a corporation because the lottery doesn't seem to have an interest in releasing the names of the actual people who are receiving the money, at least so far. As you say, it's possible that th elottery will  now want to release the names os the people behind the corporation. Since the corporation and the trust are both legal entities, I'm not sure why there is a disparity in how they are treated. If the rules require that the name of a natural person must be released when claiming a lottery prize it shouldn't matter whether those persons claimed through a trust or a corporation. If the rules only say that the name of the claimant must be released, it seems that the name of a trust should suffice. Since the judge is quoted as saying the public has a right to know the real people behind the trust,  it's certainly possible that the lottery could decide they want to release the names of those benefitting from the corporation. Even if the lottery doesn't press the issue it's possible that a FOIA request from the press could result in the same thing.

I wonder if the winners shot themselves in the foot by getting the injunction and seeking a court case. If they had simply formed the trust and claimed as the trust, perhaps the lottery would simply have listed the name of the trust and left it at that.

thanks ky floyd,

thats the crux of why i posted, what was the difference between the successful annononymous claim a few weeks earlier , and thiis claim.

I think the trick is to follow the correct proccedure.

what's wrong with wanting to be anonymous...! I would.

I live in London, so we don't have individual State Lotteries in England we just play a 'National Lottery, however in the U.S.A , you guys have the choice to play another states lottery if you so wish so that's what I would do, play elsewhere where you can have complete anominity.

What is this family were kidnapped or harrassed or stalked because they had their choice of being anoymous taken away from them? The judge should be able to be sued as well as the state as a consequence of anything happening to anyone who wins the lottery. This is a disgraceful decision. Talk about taking away your right to choose!

Playing in another state is not a very practical solution for most people who live in Washington, where the case in question occurred.  Distances here are great for many people to travel to another state.  I'd have to travel almost 200 miles, for example, and the chance to remain anonymous in that state is questionable, as well.  And as for using another means of getting the tickets, here is a quote from a summary of some of the state's gambling laws:

Washington State Internet Gambling Law

A bill was passed during the 2006 Legislative

Session changing the penalty for Internet gambling

from a gross misdemeanor to a class C felony. The

bill became effective June 7, 2006.

Before the bill was passed, the law (RCW 9.46.240)

said it was illegal to knowingly send or receive

gambling information by telephone, radio, or any

other similar means. The bill added the Internet

and telecommunications transmissions to this list.

This includes gambling on the Internet, operating

an Internet gambling site, installing or maintaining

equipment for transmitting or receiving gambling

information, or facilitating Internet gambling in any

way.

Source:  http://www.wsgc.wa.gov/faq/internet_gambling.pdf

But I contend that we do not yet know if the anonymous claim through a corporation a few weeks ago will actually be successful.  That claim was less than a month ago.  The trust claim in this news item was ten months ago.  Until the judge ruled on this case, we had no way of knowing whether a trust or a corporation would have a better chance.  Both are legal entities.  Give the lottery office some time.  I'll bet the names behind the corporation will come out, too.

wow uff da!  thats some depressing laws. You have my sympathy. I have always thought the reason a world wide lotto wont ever happens is because the local  states want to protect their own racket. this looks to me exactly like that.  they dont want your money going out of state for gambling, and they dont want to miss out on their cut. 

of course you are right, its prob just a matter of letting the law take its course. it will be interesting for people living in this state t keep an eye on the news so they get a better idea of how to apply for their win.

omg ....this is horrible.

In one of the threads about remaining anonymous, Justxploring brought up a theorhetical situation where a jackpot winner goes to court for thir right to ramin anonymous, wins the case, and thus becomes famous for winning their court case to remain anonymous!

Prepare to wear bullet vest. :P

Yeah I remember that.