Texas legislature to consider lottery winner anonymity bill

Comment #27

rcbbuckeye — Fri, 15 May 2015 00:46:56 GMT

I was just reading on another website (which will go nameless, from me anyway) that it is against this bill because of the chance that the TLC could claim there is a jackpot winner when there really isn't, and just take the money, (this would only work for a Texas lottery game, not MM or PB).

On one hand this is something I haven't thought of, but.......I really don't think a state lottery commission would actually steal a jackpot or commit fraud. If they did such a thing and got caught, it w... [ More ]

Comment #26

haymaker — Wed, 13 May 2015 01:43:33 GMT

Good for TX. not much chance of Jersey doing this, so I'll just keep on going over the Delaware Memorial Bridge.

I doubt Jersey cares about the loss of the ticket sale to me cause they will still get the 10.8 % tax

and they get part of the toll when I use the DMB.

Comment #25

Think — Wed, 13 May 2015 00:57:58 GMT

To recklessly endanger the player by requiring them to release their name should be illegal.

Sooner or later the terrorists will start kidnaping winners for ransom and homeland security will probably tell the relatives not to pay it.

Anonymity should be required.

If the player wants to broadcast their win all over and be a big shot then that would be the players problem.

Comment #24

Teddi — Mon, 11 May 2015 02:43:58 GMT

Seems to me that the fear-mongering stance of guaranteed fraud is moot unless someone can prove to me that

The lottery commission does not investigate winners in the 6 states that allow for anonymity, and/or There is a higher prevalence of fraud in those 6 states than in the states that require publicity Most importantly, publicizing the winners is more effective at fraud prevention than the lotteries checks and balances. Because every fraud case I've seen was thwarted either by the commiss... [ More ]

Comment #23

VenomV12 — Sun, 10 May 2015 17:26:47 GMT

Do you know for an actual fact how deep the lottery actually goes to find out if fraud was committed, if someone has judgments etc etc, in other states, counties and whatnot? If someone was allowed to claim their prize under the guise of a trust wouldn't that also allow them to circumvent any judgments and so on? You forget one of the essential elements for getting caught committing fraud is that the person it is happening to would need to know. If you were able to stay anonymous then it's prett... [ More ]

Comment #22

wizeguy — Sun, 10 May 2015 15:15:06 GMT

I agree with mypiemaster that there should be no dollar threshold. Anonymity should be available to all winners. If they insist on the million dollar threshold I'd rather they reword it to 'winners of one million or more' rather than 'more than a million'.

Comment #21

rcbbuckeye — Sun, 10 May 2015 13:29:15 GMT

CDanaT,

Thanks for shedding light on this.

And yes, the lottery commission is still going to do due diligence on any winning jackpot ticket to be sure the real winner is holding the ticket.

Comment #20

Teddi — Sun, 10 May 2015 13:15:17 GMT

CDanaT, excellent response. I was going to reply on pretty much the same points, so I'm really glad someone else gets how false both the fraud argument and lawsuit rights are.

People seem to be under the misconception that just because winners aren't pimped out to the media that the lottery will stop doing due diligence when it comes to combating stolen tickets and other cases of fraud.

As for the lawsuit scenario, it doesn't hold water. If someone injures you, you're given a judgement b... [ More ]

Comment #19

CDanaT — Sun, 10 May 2015 12:48:02 GMT

Venom, while you point out concerns of something that might happen. That's where you would normally get an atty. and have them do the due diligence anyway. Fraud and the DUI and theft are all crimes that are public and can be prosecuted. The prosecutor does not reveal anyone's financial status to the victim unless it is part of the discovery to be used in that case. As far as a DUI and the paralysis, Civil tort claims have a 2 year statute of limitations to them and almost all crimes have a stat... [ More ]

Comment #18

dallascowboyfan — Sun, 10 May 2015 12:15:26 GMT

WTG Texas

Comment #17

myturn — Sun, 10 May 2015 06:37:47 GMT

If you win the lottery and want to keep it a secret, you've got to trust.

In other words, let someone else face the publicity.

We'll probably never know who bought the $24 million Lotto Texas jackpot ticket July 28 at a southwest Houston Kroger store because the winner claimed the prize through the MDDSS Revocable Trust.

Manfred Sternberg, a trustee for the Houston-based trust, represented the winner Wednesday at the ceremonial check presentation.

Under Texas law, a lo... [ More ]

Comment #16

VenomV12 — Sun, 10 May 2015 03:27:46 GMT

I am abivalent about this, on one hand I understand the desire for anonymity, but on the other hand there are legitimate circumstances where hiding the winner's identity could lead to someone getting away with fraud. Someone could have stolen a ticket, cheated a partner etc etc out of their rightful winnings and that's not right. What if someone had hit you years ago in a DUI accident and paralyzed you and destroyed your life and now a few years later they won $50 million, should you not be comp... [ More ]

Comment #15

myturn — Sun, 10 May 2015 01:15:56 GMT

Texas should adopt the British Lottery policy. Winners have the right to anonymity, but they also get financial advice. When people win big, some may not be able to manage it and could do with independent professional financial advice.

As one of the world s leading lottery operators, Camelot sets global standards when it comes to looking after winners. It offers an unparalleled level of professional support to help and advise new winners throughout this life-changing exper... [ More ]

Comment #14

myturn — Sun, 10 May 2015 01:01:42 GMT

As it is very few people, why not give them the right to anonymity? What is the point of forcing winners to go public

Comment #13

myturn — Sun, 10 May 2015 00:57:42 GMT

This actually came to me from a constituent who told me she aspires to win the lottery but she lives on the border and she is afraid of somebody kidnapping her for a ransom Guillen, D-Rio Grande City, said.

But beyond that, we all have heard many stories about being hassled a great deal, folks who win the lottery are hassled by people asking them for money, Guillen said. This will give them the opportunity, the option, that if they want to be anonymous they can be anonymous.

Comment #12

myturn — Sun, 10 May 2015 00:24:48 GMT

If you live in Texas, please write to your representative in support of winners' right to anonymity.

Comment #11

Stack47 — Sun, 10 May 2015 00:00:18 GMT

There are almost 27 million people in Texas, how man players were affected without anonymity

Comment #10

Technut — Sat, 09 May 2015 22:26:15 GMT

That fee i was reffering to was in another post a while back where they would take 5% so you could keep your privacy. I think that is BS.

Comment #9

LottoMetro — Sat, 09 May 2015 21:57:59 GMT

I went to Texas' website and looked up this bill. Didn't see anything about an anonymity fee or cost that I think was mentioned elsewhere. I did see that your information could be released after 30 days if you took the prize in installments, though

Comment #8

Teddi — Sat, 09 May 2015 21:51:03 GMT

Finally, a group of legislators with sense and who actually have the brains to think of the personal safety and well-being of the winners. I'm sure the lottery will lobby hard against this, since they view free publicity as more important than an individual's life, but I'm hopeful that this bill will pass. Kudos to them. Now, let's get the other states to follow suit.

Comment #7

Technut — Sat, 09 May 2015 14:31:46 GMT

I do favor remaining anonymous. But i also don't want to give up a part of my winnings for that right either.

As far as Texas gettin rid of the lottery i doubt it will happen anytime soon or ever.

Comment #6

CDanaT — Sat, 09 May 2015 14:30:19 GMT

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh......Kudos state reps, for realizing the spring flowers are blooming and the coffee's-a-brewing. You have renewed my faith (just a smidge) that reasonableness and common sense still does exist in government officials. Thanks for doing your jobs and keeping the safety/security of the folks first and foremost.

Comment #5

mypiemaster — Sat, 09 May 2015 13:48:35 GMT

Why put a dollar figure on our choice/safety?. Just give us two boxes....check box1 if you want to stay anonymous, check box2 if you don't. Better still, keep everybody anonymous and let the hams and the hot dogs go out there and seek their own publicity.

Comment #4

music* — Sat, 09 May 2015 13:00:59 GMT

Thank You hearsetrax for your input and help. The law should be called, the Abraham Shakespeare law . If only he was still alive , may he rest in peace. Abraham was an illiterate but good natured person who won in Florida. Dee Dee Moore got her claws into his winnings then shot him twice in the chest. She is serving life without parole. Two lives wasted for no reason.

Comment #3

pickone4me — Sat, 09 May 2015 12:55:21 GMT

Nice! Now how about the rest of the states

Comment #2

hearsetrax — Sat, 09 May 2015 12:49:31 GMT

6 states and hopefully the rest of the states sooner then later

Comment #1

music* — Sat, 09 May 2015 12:33:47 GMT

Don't mess with Texas . Winners of more then $1 million to remain anonymous is highly welcome almost everywhere. A winner has so much swirling around their life this helps them remain sane and safe.

We should follow the example of the States that have laws protecting winners with anonymity i.e. Kansas, Maryland,Delaware, Ohio . And one other State I think.

Texas legislature to consider lottery winner anonymity bill

Lottery Post — Sat, 09 May 2015 11:39:59 GMT

What a turnaround.

In the 2013 session the Texas House passed a bill aimed at abolishing the state lottery.

But after some soul-searching mainly confronted with the fact the state would lose $1.1 billion a year for public education some representatives who wanted to eliminate the Texas Lottery Commission reversed their vote, in essence resuscitating the game.

Now House members may go a step further.

On Tuesday the 150-member chamber will consider a bill that would allow winners of mo... [ More ]