I hear tell by a known but unamed attorney that in the ole vintage days, when Las Vegas was owned and operated by the M Boyz, there was was nothing to fear (if you wren't in their biz)

They did not harm any winners and if anybody tried to harm or rob a winner the "reward" could easily be disappearing into desert hole....


Remenecing  about the good ole dayz when it was Viva Las Vegas before OJ !!!
EddessaKnight 

Saying "Do it, if ya got the stones" might cause you to be shot dead.There are more people than you know who "have the stones" to pull the trigger.Some people just don't care if they kill you.Prisons all across America are full of people with more stones than sense.

Sadly once a person wins a lottery jackpot, that person becomes a target.  The man in the story was very lucky.  

Unfortunately the old saying of "winning is not going to change me or what I do" is a problem to most jackpot winners...It may not change you, It may magnify your personality, but it will definitly change the people around you.   

Either get the security system with the camera, or get the hell out of the neighborhood, because unfortunately you just don't fit in anymore,,,,(might want to see if there is a door that has the capability to shoot out a couple of taser darts, and maybe some pepper spray).

   The reason anonymity is discouraged among lottery winners is to prevent another avenue of public corruption. If we passed a law allowing winners to claim their jackpots anonymously, how would we know that the lottery commissioner, the lottery director or the governor himself didn't claim that jackpot?

   We've had such a situation right here in Indiana. Governor Kernan served two four-year terms, at a salary of $140,000 per year. Somehow, he left office a multi-millionaire, and used part of his newfound wealth to buy a $9 million share in a semi-pro baseball team. When I pointed this out on a political forum, I was attacked from all sides by people who LOVED this liar, this thief. I demanded an investigation by the Indiana State Board of Accounts, the Indiana State Police and the FBI, but my demands were summarily ignored, because I'm not somebody who warrants any concern on their part.

   We DON'T want a curtain drawn around our lotteries, because those who see that opportunity presented to them will be the very same people who are in a position to take advantage, and they will certainly act on it. There would be virtually no possible way to keep our politicians and lottery officials from looting the cookie jar. In fact, they'd probably take turns, and lottery headquarters in every state would have to install revolving doors just to accommodate them and their weekly jackpot claims.

   There are viable alternatives available to any jackpot winner who doesn't want his or her name published. If you live in a state that allows you to claim your jackpot via a blind trust, that's the way you should go. If you live in a state that requires disclosure, then you can set up a corporation and hide your name among the list of officers or directors (Chief Operations Officer or Secretary for example; you DON'T want to make yourself CEO or President). While the first option is preferable to the second, a corporation does provide you with a degree of anonymity, and might also provide you with several tax breaks in subsequent years not available to those who use a blind trust to claim their money (depending on how it's structured).

   If you plan to win a jackpot, or even if you just hope you will someday, NOW is the time to talk with a certified financial planner and an attorney. Investigate your options BEFORE that magical day arrives, and you'll know exactly what to do when the time comes. If you wait until after you've won, your mind will be going in a hundred different directions at once, and sound financial advice might not be high on your list of priorities. I'll point to David Edwards to illustrate this example. He actually did hire attorneys and a financial planner, after he learned he had won $41 million. He paid them well, and then promptly ignored every word of advice they uttered to him. Consequently, in a little more than three years, Mr. Edwards SPENT $41 million and change, and now he's wondering how he's going to pay his medical bills. 

   Stop and think for a moment how that would make you feel; would you feel stupid, Stupid or STUPID? Would you entertain suicidal thoughts, or would you sit around wishing you could turn back the clock a year or so? It won't matter, because neither choice will change your circumstances; you'll still be BROKE. There are many other examples out there, but hopefully this exercise will compel you to take action now, BEFORE you discover that the numbers on your ticket match those that were drawn the night before (you DO check your own tickets, don't you?).

   There's more to claiming a jackpot than simply presenting your winning ticket to lottery officials. If you want that feeling to last, you'll need to know what steps to take before you claim your money, and you'll need sound financial advice if you want to keep your fortune for more than three years (you'll also need to TAKE at least some of that advice).

   Maybe some of us could get together and make a comprehensive list of the best methods of claiming a jackpot in each state. Then, maybe we could convince Todd to provide a link to that list so we could reference it. Indiana allows lottery winners to claim their money through a blind trust. If we're going to do this, though, we should do it right, so I believe we should each include the governing statute outlining each state's disclosure requirements. However, before I dig up and copy Indiana's gaming laws, I'd like to know whether any of you are willing to help with this project. All you'd have to do is to research the gaming laws in your state, and copy the applicable statute. You might need to contact an attorney to point you in the right direction, since some states don't write their statutes in plain English, and they're very difficult to read or to understand if you're not a lawyer. If your state has legalized gambling (casinos), your lottery laws might be under a different title than your gaming laws (try "[your state] lottery legislation" or " [your state] lottery laws" on Google).

   If we do this, I think it will clear up a lot of confusion, and it will also provide all of us with a ready reference concerning what to do when lady luck shows up on our doorstep. 

Great post Jim695, as all of yours are always well thought out.  A long time ago Chewie posted info or link to info about what to do if you won the jackpot.  I may have it on CD somewhere but it will take awhile to find.

Seems one or more properly and correctly trained attack dogs might have discouraged the break-in. 

  The reason anonymity is encouraged is to protect winners from crime and beggars,  jim695.   The best way to  prevent  lottery commissioner, the lottery director or the governor himself from unfair play is the independent public access to the drawing procedures and excluding any computerized draws. I do not mind if governor or anyone else purchased a ticket and won - if it was a fair play.

  I live in a state that doesn't allow to claim jackpot via a blind trust, and anonymous option is very popular - since it was introduced recently, nearly all winners chose anonymous claim.

If i win the jackpot, first i won't tell nobody and 2 nd i will get some mean dogs to guard my house.

jim695 - you know, that was why I joined this group in the first place. I wanted information on what to do if I win the lottery. In North Carolina, you can't be anonymous, no blind trust, no corporations - to my knowledge. Basically, you can decline getting your picture taken, but that's it!! A major problem is that in many counties, they have websites where people can look up your name and get your home information - how much it cost, square footage, address, phone, etc (so, yes, much more than a phone book) - and since it's by the gov't, you can't get it "erased", like when you can pay extra to not have your name and number in the phone book.

However, I have always wanted to double-check these facts. I would love to go in with you on this project.

konane - please check your CD for that information. I'd love to have that too!