List of States Which Allow Anonymous Winners

Reply #49

river1 — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 05:54:44 GMT

from the AZ lottery FAQs

However, Arizona Lottery jackpot winners are given the option of participating in or declining a press conference and/or publicity. We believe a press conference enhances the winning experience, and it usually eliminates receiving multiple calls from the media.

we had a couple of guys win, 7 mil or so, ten or so years ago. they declined the news conference and put notes on their doors at home, all media interviews $10,000 . the local media talked about them an... [ More ]

Reply #48

DC81 — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 21:06:56 GMT

Damn, I thought that might have counted for MM too... What about setting up a trust to claim

Reply #47

mylollipop — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 11:36:33 GMT

Wowser! Do any other states have this option? Your research is awesome and THANKS A MILLION

Reply #46

mylollipop — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:49:40 GMT

In Louisiana, the PB can be claimed as a trust. A lady did so a few jackpot wins back. From the FAQ's I have read, the only state that allows anonymity is Delaware

Reply #45

dphillips — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 20:26:42 GMT

In New Mexico, you may not remain anonymous. Oh, the shame

Reply #44

JustFrozen — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 07:03:53 GMT

on Wednesday the CA lotto announced a 5# winner of the Feb 15 MM ($368,554) had finally stepped forward, but said this While he understands the public s curiosity about his story and is willing to share some details, he prefers to remain anonymous

Reply #43

Coin Toss — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 22:46:41 GMT

Not sure if this covers Illinois or Georgia, but on WGN-TV (Chicago) news last night they showed winners from December just showing up now to claim their jackpot.

The cjeck was made out to a trust JVS family or something or other, and one woman, wearing large lensed sunglasses showed up to claim it, or she is one of the trust who accepted the check.

A spokeswoman for the lottery presented the check and kind of danced around who JVS was.

On the news they explained that this was all ok a... [ More ]

Reply #42

Wheeler — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:57:54 GMT

Yes Kansas' Hot Lotto has the sizzler. I haven't played Hot Lotto for a long time but did play a few times when it came to Kansas Didn't win anything

Reply #41

LuckyLilly — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:00:03 GMT

Another anon Powerball state! Cool! Thanks, Wheeler.

Does KS have the Sizzler on Hot Lotto? Do you play it

Reply #40

Wheeler — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 22:26:08 GMT

I wrote the Ks Lottery and this is what they said:

In order for us to use your name, you must sign a Public Disclosure Authorization form. If you choose not to sign the form then you will remain anonymous. If you have further questions, please let us know. Thank you.

Karie R. Lowe

Customer Liaison

Kansas Lottery

Reply #39

myturn — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 02:53:30 GMT

No LuckyLilly, here state lotteries have a good repudiation so there is no speculation. There are lots of checks and balances, the draws are not run by a few blokes in a back room. Also, Australia doesn't seen to have, unlike America, so many conspiracy theorists; no offence to my Yankee friends. I think most Australians take the view, 'If I won, I wouldn't want the whole country knowing'.

Reply #38

PrisonerSix — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 18:02:00 GMT

In Louisiana, winners cannot claim anonymously but they are allowed to claim using a trust or corporation. The lottery publishes the name of the trust or corporation that collects the prize.

However, when a trust claimed a prize sometime back, the local paper somehow got the name of the winner. I don't know if they got it through her attorney, the lottery, or where, but they got the name and she consented to an interview.

Anonymity isn't easy to get in the U.S. these days.

Reply #37

dvdiva — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 04:09:13 GMT

That is actually not correct. They have had anonymous winners before. Years ago (early 90's) a family set up a trust to claim the ticket. They had so many people in the picture you couldn't tell who the hell won. You could also set up a corporation as a trustee as well. It's far better than Oregon. As with any state if you really want to be anonymous you had better get an attorney before you claim the prize.

Reply #36

Mike Frazier — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 03:54:59 GMT

I don't want to run this into the ground, so this will be my last comment on this subject.

As I said previously: Just because the Lottery Commission says something, that don't make it so. You need a lawyer, and a darn good one -- not just because, until you get your own legal expert's opinion, the law is always in doubt -- even if it's against you in bold black letters -- but because the Lottery Commission is not your ally in this matter. At best, it's neutral, and frequently it's your advers... [ More ]

Reply #35

KY Floyd — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 21:45:53 GMT

Winners can claim through creating a trust, but the documents of the trust, which must contain the natural persons behind the trust, are public records. The media are well aware of this fact.

That's the best answer you're reported. Since any legal entity can own property, any legal entity can own a lottery ticket. Most lotteries should be willing to pay that entity, but if there is a law or rule that requires that prizes be paid to individuals then that's what the lottery will do. If the rec... [ More ]

Reply #34

LuckyLilly — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 19:44:36 GMT

Washington - No (email)

Thank you for your inquiry to Washington s Lottery. We appreciate the opportunity to provide you with information we hope you will find useful.

State law provides the Lottery to publish the name, city of residence and prize of Lottery winners. Winners can claim through creating a trust, but the documents of the trust, which must contain the natural persons behind the trust, are public records. The media are well aware of this fact. In other words, there are no absol... [ More ]

Reply #33

LuckyLilly — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 17:51:20 GMT

myturn, you're making me want to become an ex-pat. G'day mate! How am I doing so far?

Is there serious speculation in NZ and Australia about whether or not real people win? Because that seems to be the prevailing excuse here when lottery commissions are asked about remaining anon.

Reply #32

LuckyLilly — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 17:48:03 GMT

Indiana LC said the paperwork will identify the trust only. A smart winner would have an attorney confirm that and make sure it's in writing, but it sounds like they are committed to keeping winners anon if they wish to be.

As for New Mexico, they sound like such hard asses, if I lived there I think I'd be traveling to AZ or CO for Powerball, or Texas for MegaMillions. I wouldn't even want to try to deal with NM. Let the surrounding states get my money for their schools.

Reply #31

Mike Frazier — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 16:43:17 GMT

I don't know what PRA requests includes, and so that is one concern of mine. Another is the fact that there is confidentialty and there is confidentiality. To put it another way, some lottery commissions consider your information confidential unless someone asks (because of the value to the state of public disclosure). That kind of confidentiality I can live without. It's unclear to me exactly what's going on in Indiana.

Caveat victor: Let the winner beware

Reply #30

LuckyLilly — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 16:35:15 GMT

Well, true. But for me the Indiana procedure is completely copacetic, and I'd accept it without question since my main goal is to remain anon which their rules provide for. Guess I wouldn't be happy if I owed child support I didn't want to pay.

Reply #29

Mike Frazier — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 16:24:45 GMT

The New Mexico reasoning of not being able to check the winner's name against monies owed is weak. Indiana requires that a real person give their name and SSN to the lottery commission for that very reason.

Lilly,

I'm kind of new around here, but, if I were an Indiana winner, I'd want to know who said that a trust can't claim a prize, and whether or not the rule has been challenged. Corporations are considered real persons under the law; perhaps trusts are, too. Anyway, I wouldn't accept s... [ More ]

Reply #28

LuckyLilly — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 16:13:09 GMT

The response of the New Mexico lottery commission to Lilly's question (posted March 5 at 12:54 pm) is a case in point. In response to her question, Can a winner [use] a trust to claim a prize? The commission gave an unqualified and self-serving response:

A. The law requires the Commission to check the winner's name against a list.

B. If a trust claimed a prize, the Commission would not be able to do this.

So what? If the Commission has obligations, it isn't the trust's responsibilty to... [ More ]

Reply #27

rubberbandman — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 15:57:13 GMT

EXACTLY Frazier,

perfectly explaned

Reply #26

Mike Frazier — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 15:44:21 GMT

I am surprised to read, in many of the answers, that people have contacted state lottery commissions to learn what sort of trust, if any, may claim a prize.

This is essentially a legal question, and lottery commissions are not licensed to practice law.

If the question is unsettled in your jurisdiction, and if you ask a lottery commission whether or not you may claim through a trust, you may well get someone's guess of what the law is (an unqualified opinion) or what someone wishes the law... [ More ]

Reply #25

myturn — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 05:05:22 GMT

This is the response I got from the New Zealand Lottery.

Winner details are anonymous and the public do not have access to this information.

Kind regards,

Roz Sheerin

Communications Coordinator

NZ Lotteries

Reply #24

myturn — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 05:01:56 GMT

This is the response I got from the South Australian State Lottery.

I advise that it is not the practice of SA Lotteries to release any information which may identify winners. The only exception being in instances where the winner has consented in writing to the publication of their personal details for publicity purposes. Although publicity is important to our business, our winners and their wishes for privacy come first.

As you can appreciate, most local players like to hear the... [ More ]

Reply #23

myturn — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 04:59:16 GMT

This is the response I got from the Queensland State Lottery.

Lottery winners do have the right to remain anonymous under the 'Not for

publication' option on their winners circle card. This would also be

reiterated upon the lottery contacting the customer to inform them of

the win.

Reply #22

myturn — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 04:56:08 GMT

This is the response I got from the UK Lottery.

Thank you for contacting the Interactive Customer Care Team.

All Lottery winners have the right to remain anonymous, we cannot organize any publicity or give any information to the press unless the winner has signed a form giving us permission to do so. We hope the clarifies things for you.

If you have any further enquiries or feedback to provide please contact us again.

Kind regards

Interactive Customer Care Team

National L... [ More ]

Reply #21

rubberbandman — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 16:00:49 GMT

ill still try to upload all the states

Reply #20

LuckyLilly — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 19:36:37 GMT

Iowa - No - Trust is allowed but no anon trust (lottery commission emails)

Thanks for contacting us. Iowa state law dictates that lottery officials cannot keep winner information secret. Winners do not have to appear before the press or even show up in person to get their check. Our claim form indicates that the player gives permission for their name to be used when they sign. To see a copy of the claim form, click here: http://www.ialottery.com/AboutUs/claimform.pdf

Iowa lawmakers want

Reply #19

ThatScaryChick — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 18:14:43 GMT

You're doing a great job Lilly

Reply #18

LuckyLilly — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 17:54:22 GMT

New Mexico - No - and no trust (lottery commission emails)

Dear Lilly,

The New Mexico Lottery is a quasi-governmental agency and falls under the Inspection of Public Records Act. The law requires public access to virtually all public records including a winner's name, the name and location of the retailer that sold the winning ticket, the date the prize was won and the amount of the prize. While there are a few legitimate exceptions, most public records are available for public inspecti... [ More ]

Reply #17

LuckyLilly — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 17:47:58 GMT

Wow, that's great lottocalgal! If I ever decide to travel for MegaMillions, that will be the deciding factor whether I go to Washington or CA as they're about equidistant from me. Is equidistant a word? Anyway, I'll definitely choose CA knowing you can be anon.

Reply #16

lottocalgal — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:31:02 GMT

Hey Lucky Lilly,

As promised I called the lottery headquaters this morning. I spoke with a rep who confirmed it with her superviser. YES you can claim your prize anonymously. All they are required to give is the name of the city and the amount. NOT only that, you can also claim it as a corporation or a trust if you like.

And for the CA folks who are currently playing the California Millionaire scratcher. The $1 million amount is in a lump sum. It is not a $50,000 annual annuity.

Reply #15

lottocalgal — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 03:15:32 GMT

Hey LL

Its closed right now, but I will call ASAP tommorow. Will post whatever they tell me.

Reply #14

Think — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 03:00:06 GMT

MI-Yes Any Prize over $10,000 except for Mega Mill prizes

Reply #13

chasingadream — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 01:07:52 GMT

Oklahoma - No (website FAQ)

If I should win a large top prize, do I have the option of remaining anonymous as far as the public and media are concerned?

In accordance with the Oklahoma Open Records Act and the Oklahoma Education Lottery Act, the name of any individual, corporation, partnership, unincorporated association, limited liability company, or other legal entity, and their city of residence will be made public. It is important for the public to know the lottery is run honestly. Th... [ More ]

Reply #12

LuckyLilly — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 00:38:23 GMT

Arizona - No (website FAQ)

Q:If I win the jackpot, do I have the option of remaining anonymous?A:No. The Arizona Lottery is required to release, upon request, the winner s name, city of residence, game, and amount won. A press release will be sent out to the media when a winner has collected the prize. However, Arizona Lottery jackpot winners are given the option of participating in or declining a press conference and/or publicity. We believe a press conference enhances the winning experience... [ More ]

Reply #11

LuckyLilly — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 00:21:28 GMT

Good idea to post the FAQ/email for backup CoinToss.

Colorado - No but allows trusts - email

Dear Lilly,

The only way to really remain anonymous is to set up a trust to claim your

prize. State law requires us to release the name of our

Jackpot winners, the amount of their prize and where the ticket was sold on our

Web site and to make that information available if we ever get an open

records request. If you claim as a trust, the only the trust's name will appear on the site.... [ More ]

Reply #10

LuckyLilly — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 21:59:53 GMT

I thought I saw a post to that effect. Would someone in CA, NV, OR or AZ please call them (they don't have an email addy or online contact form that I can find, and no toll-free number from Idaho) and ask?

800-568-8379

Reply #9

chasingadream — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 17:54:08 GMT

South Carolina (PB) is a yes....they won't release any info

Virginia (MM) is a no.....they jackpot has to be claimed in the name of a person only. Some guy won a few million ?some? years ago and claimed in the name of a LLC and the big wigs were very upset and immediatly got together and changed the law.

Georgia (MM) will allow you to claim in the name of a LLC.

Texas (MM) will allow trusts LLC to protect privacy but their version of minimum publicity is probably sufficient enough.

O... [ More ]

Reply #8

rubberbandman — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 17:30:19 GMT

most of their faqs do not have an answer to the anonymous question. I tried to list all the states and their answers on this site but i mistakenly typed a new url when i already had multiple pages out so it deleted everything and it took to long so im not goin to do it again, maybe tonight but not now, sorry, kind of irritated right now, all that work is gone and it wasnt easy either.

sorry for the rant but whatever

Reply #7

Raven62 — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 16:57:38 GMT

Lottery Post should have a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) Page so that we don't have the same Questions being asked over and over and over again.

Reply #6

Britney — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 16:52:32 GMT

California is a big ? since their FAQ says you can NOT remain anonymous, however, the latest winner of the California SuperLotto Plus jackpot was allowed to remain anonymous.

Go figure

Reply #5

rundown99 — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 16:42:58 GMT

You can obtain anonymity in the following states even when claiming the prize in person:

Delaware(PB)

Kansas (PB)

North Dakota (PB)

Maryland (MM)

You can obtain anonymity in the following states by using a trust:

New Hampshire (PB)

Oklahoma (PB)

Ohio (MM)

The only real solution to the problems of winning the lottery is to remain anonymous.

Otherwise, relatives, friends, and leetches you never knew existed would appear out of nowhere. Oh my God,

Reply #4

myturn — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 08:20:10 GMT

I found this on the NSW Lotteries' website. All state lotteries should have such policies.

NSW Lotteries Values Your Privacy

NSW Lotteries is committed to ensuring that the collection, accuracy, use, disclosure, de-identification and destruction of your details are compliant with the Privacy Act 1988 and subsequent amendments, and the National Principles for the Fair Handling of Personal Information.

Reply #3

dvdiva — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 06:17:35 GMT

WA - yes

OR - no and can not claim as trust

No one took OR to court over that one yet though.

BC - no but can form trust in your name (i.e. dvdiva in trust

Reply #2

Coin Toss — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 04:59:08 GMT

Missouri: (Website FAQ):

If I should win the jackpot, do I have the option of remaining anonymous to the public and the media?Missouri state law requires the Lottery to release your name, cityof residence and the amount of the prize.

You will also be asked, but are not required, to participate in a newsconference, most likely at the store where you purchased your winningticket. News conferences can also be held at a Lottery office. Thisprovides the media with a single photo opportunity

Reply #1

ThatScaryChick — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 20:02:35 GMT

That's a good idea.

List of States Which Allow Anonymous Winners

LuckyLilly — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 19:42:26 GMT

I haven't seen such a list and I'm wondering if one has been compiled.

I also wonder if you can go by what's in the FAQ on each website.

I started checking a few states and here's what I found so far. Please feel free to add states if you wish.

AZ - No (website FAQ)

CO - No (email from CO lottery commission - they did add you can set up a trust to claim)

DC - No (website FAQ)

DE - Yes (website FAQ)

MT - No (website FAQ)

OK - No (website FAQ