Pardon me for saying this ... but your first sentence above is spot-on accurate. Most people DON'T know what all the hulabalu is about. And lottery commissions are counting on it. They have nothing to lose and everything to gain (public relations wise) if a winner voluntarily agrees to make a public spectacle of themselves. They won't tell you that, in the immediate future, media entities will post your photo and every PR-value word you say - and that everybody who sees/hears that coverage will know you are a rich person (including businesses, charities, friends, relatives, coworkers, confidence racketeers and other criminals, former spouses, etc., etc.). And, they won't tell you that, over the long term, these media entities (and lottery commissions themselves) will keep that story alive on their websites.
In fact, if you look at the "media" pages on most lottery commission websites, the ONLY people featured are those who made public spectacles of themselves - unless their "stories" turned into public relations nightmares like the Jack Whittaker story mentioned in the first post of this thread. The "nightmares" end up on YouTube (grin).
To each their own, though. But for me, there won't be any "acceptance speeches" or other such stuff. It'll be a simple matter of "Show me the money" and "goodbye."
P.S. FWIW, if a person is unlucky enough to win a jackpot in a state requiring photo shoots or press conferences, there is STILL a way they can retain their anonimity. First, legally change your name. Secondly, a day or so before the shoot/conference, visit a styling salon that does "extreme makeovers" - making you look NOTHING like what you really look like (grin). For example, if you wear glasses, get contact lenses. If you don't wear glasses, buy a pair with clear glass lenses. Also, if it's a press conference, remember that you might be mandated to "attend" but are not mandated to have a "helpful and friendly attitude." Frown a lot (grin). Give brief unrevealing answers to their questions:
Q - What do you plan to do with the money?
A - I won't know until I see my financial advisor.
Q - How did your family react when you told them?
A - I'm unmarried, my parents are both deceased, and I have no brothers or sisters.
Q - Could you smile for the cameras?
A - I had dental work earlier this morning and my mouth/lips are numb.
In short, do whatever it takes to make yourself a "non-story" that will have little if any airplay or newspaper space. Then, after the ordeal is over, go back to the salon and have them "reverse" your extreme makeover. And then, legally change your name back to your real name.
Ragards -- J. Alec West