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should winners be allowed to stay anonymous?

Yes

[ 38 ]

[ 52.0% ]

[ 5 ]

[ 6.8% ]

It should be the winner's choice

[ 29 ]

[ 39.7% ]

I paid 99 cents a minute to have no opinion

[ 1 ]

[ 1.4% ]

Total valid votes

[ 73 ]

Discarded votes

[ 4 ]

hypersoniq

Pennsylvania
United States
Member #1,340
April 6, 2003
2,581 Posts
Offline

Nov 11, 2005, 10:26 pm

Here is a blurb that got me a bit ticked off at Ed Mahlman and Co at the PA lottery offices...

"Unfortunately, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Vermont do not currently provide addresses for registered sex offenders. Consequently, we are unable to provide adequate or meaningful information about sex offenders located in these states. We will add functionality that will allow searches by name and city in the future.

We suggest that you contact your state senators and representatives and ask them why you cannot have access to critical information you need to protect your loved ones. Tell them that you want the same registered sex offender location information that is available to your neighbors in surrounding states.
"

this is on a website that draws maps of areas showing where sex offenders are located...

PA is among the few states that keeps this info hidden yet has no problem putting lottery winners at risk... it just don't seem right.

maybe it's just me... I'll let the poll decide, but I think that allowing anonymity for lottery winners is a safety issue and that would make a great petition.

what do you think?

Have an EXCELlent day!
bellyache

United States
Member #12,618
March 18, 2005
2,060 Posts
Offline

Nov 11, 2005, 10:42 pm

I think all states should allow people to remain anonymous if they want, but I know that isn't going to happen. The Lottery officials want the players and would-be players to know that the game is real and that "real" people win. So they want to show off the winners, especially the big jackpot winners.
sirbrad

PA
United States
Member #22,982
October 6, 2005
2,229 Posts
Offline

Nov 11, 2005, 10:55 pm

The problem is that they need to be expose in order to preserve the integrity of the game. When you win, you do not care about this integrity, you care about YOU. When you don't win, you then care, because you want to be sure that your hard earned money has actually went towards a legitimate jackpot. So the whole issue is dependent on whether YOU win or not. So as you can see it is a two-sided coin. The winners don't want anyone knowing they, and the losers demand to know who won.

So it is a tough situation. But it should be the winners choice as to 'how much' exposure they get, and usually it is if they are smart. I see nothing wrong with a name and state though, it is nothing no one else can't find out anyway. But personally I would try to remain as anonymous as possible. Let's face it, we are more likely to go out and buy tickets after seeing someone on TV, a webpage, or the paper, who is holding up that big cardboard check, as opposed to just hearing that 'someone won somewhere.'
Kidzmom

NC
United States
Member #11,741
February 23, 2005
1,234 Posts
Offline

Nov 11, 2005, 11:56 pm

I've always felt that I would remain anonymous because frankly it's dangerous to report that big of a win. In NC if you've ever bought anything such as property or cars then it is a matter of public records and you can access it online courtesy of your state government, so that means once your name goes in the papers or the on the news, you will be brough beaten to death because rest assured, they will be knocking down your door!! because they will know where you live.....Some states not all of them you can remain anonymous but in some states, you are required to go public. I will just have to move I suppose.
dvdiva

United States
Member #2,338
September 17, 2003
2,063 Posts
Offline

Nov 12, 2005, 2:55 am

It's both tax free (just state taxes though) and anonymous in WA. But if the jackpot is a record than forget being anonymous, the media will chase after you irregardless.
NoCompLotto!

Ypsilanti, MI
United States
Member #15,733
May 20, 2005
217 Posts
Offline

Nov 12, 2005, 3:21 am

MI allows winners over $10K to elect anonymity, with the exception of MM. If you win any major prize in MM (4+1 and higher), you are required, by state law, to remain public. Basically, tell them who you are and where you live, and then pick up and move 400 miles north to the boonies. They won't have a snowball-in-hell's chance of finding you, since everything north of Midland is basically farmland. The UP is an even better hideout... peaceful and serene, with no major city traffic for about 100 miles in any direction.
Chewie

Sparta, NJ
United States
Member #18,330
July 9, 2005
1,977 Posts
Offline

Nov 12, 2005, 8:31 am

No one will care who you are after a few weeks. The Wests are already off the front page. They have been on it for weeks, and no one bothered them. Hundreds, if not thousands, of lottery winners live peacefully. Your self-importance is over-rated. Those winners who are harrassed are the rare exception to the ones who are never bothered. Once you get over the initial hump, no one cares. Unless of course, you keep the attentionn on yourself.

People appear to be hung up on this, "my life is not going to change" attitude. I will be the same old Mary and the same old Joe I was the day before yesterday. The price of a Porthouse Steak will no longer matter. The reservation clerk at Jet Blue won't be the one you'll taking to when you want to fly. Priceline does not make commercials orientated towards multi-millionaires. Whether it takes days, or weeks, or a few months, the realization of what that amount of money can do for you will sink in. You will take that luxuary vacation. You will buy that car with the luxury interior. You will buy the house that has all the gadgets you saw on television. You will buy that jewlery in the store window. You will buy that dress that you couldn't afford last month. You will get your parents that new fangled whatchamacallit they always talked about. You will send your 12-year old daughter to school in a chauffer driven limo; if for no other eason, then her security.

You will do all this, and more. Why? Because it is why you spent that dollar to start with.

|||::> *'`*:-.,_,.-:*''*:--->>> Chewie <<<---.*''*:-.,_,.-:*''* <:::|||

I only trust myself - and that's a questionable choice
destinedtowin

Whitwell, TN
United States
Member #5,461
July 5, 2004
56 Posts
Offline

Nov 12, 2005, 9:43 am

Hey Chewie, You just hit the nail on the head.

as always I'm Destinedtowin.

good luck to all that play.
sirbrad

PA
United States
Member #22,982
October 6, 2005
2,229 Posts
Offline

Nov 12, 2005, 7:03 pm

Your self-importance is over-rated. Those winners who are harrassed are the rare exception to the ones who are never bothered. Once you get over the initial hump, no one cares. Unless of course, you keep the attentionn on yourself.

That is true. Especially being that only 'bad news' makes the front pages usually...For every lottery winner harrassed there is about 1,000 not bothered, or more.
rlevins

United States
Member #23,786
October 16, 2005
68 Posts
Offline

Nov 12, 2005, 7:35 pm

I think that people who want to remain anonymous want to do so neither because they think that they are celebrities nor thinking themselves to be much important (but may be there are few who think like that because every one has his understanding). I think that mostly people want to remain anonymous because they somewhat realize the responsibility of having too much money suddenly and how will they manage it. I understand that you can hire planners and attorneys but even then having sudden windfall of money is difficult (but not impossible) to imagine and manage. There are more than 400 American who have more than 900 million of net worth and there will be thousands and thousands more who may have net worth of 100 million (approximate net worth of a large Jackpot winner). The difference between this group and Jackpot winner is that Jackpot winner got rich in one day but the other group became rich probably over a long period of time and this long period of time (including their own intellect) made infrastructure available to them and gave them training to protect themselves, manage their money and make even more money. And this part mostly remains missing with someone who suddenly become rich such as Jackpot winner.
Keeping in view of these it may be wise for a Jackpot winner to remain anonymous as much as possible and as long as possible, so that they and their money are safe.
Chewie

Sparta, NJ
United States
Member #18,330
July 9, 2005
1,977 Posts
Offline

Nov 12, 2005, 7:53 pm

Why is it that every winner stands in front of the camera and smiles from ear to ear? Because they love the glory. It is not human nature to hide from glory. The ten minutes of fame concept has a reality. No one wants to remain anonymous, no matter what they say. They want to be famous. Unless they or rare introvert. There are no introverts on this site, it contradicts their being here. It is the same B.S. about wanting to remain normal. That is all about denial. Normal is winning a ton of money and celebrating the win. Normal is jumping up and down and losing control of you emotion. Ne normal, and get over the B.S.

|||::> *'`*:-.,_,.-:*''*:--->>> Chewie <<<---.*''*:-.,_,.-:*''* <:::|||

I only trust myself - and that's a questionable choice
Just6ntlc

United States
Member #16,611
June 2, 2005
3,493 Posts
Offline

Nov 12, 2005, 8:14 pm

I think it is OK to stay anonymous in front of camera. So my vote is yes.
sirbrad

PA
United States
Member #22,982
October 6, 2005
2,229 Posts
Offline

Nov 12, 2005, 9:04 pm

Actually I am very introverted in real life, why do you think I am on the forums so much? Course that is usually only because the weather is bad here for about 7 months, and you can't do crap anyway. But if it is hot and sunny, I am always very active in athletics. I hate winter, so they are my lottery playing months. That way I can build myself my own indoor pradise, and beach when I win.

It would be funny though to actually see someone looking angry while holding a cardboard check for $200 million. Thus exclaiming, "I can't believe I won this stupid jackpot, it is going to cause nothing but trouble. The only reason I played is because I expected NOT to win like everyone else, and I had some money to blow. If I rip this cardboard check up right now, can I get out of all of this?"

Yeeeeeeah I see that happening...
hypersoniq

Pennsylvania
United States
Member #1,340
April 6, 2003
2,581 Posts
Offline

Nov 13, 2005, 12:47 pm

I still say it's safer to remain anonymous. If it were just me, I propably wouldn't care, but it's the family you gotta look out for...

Have an EXCELlent day!
RJOh

100

mid-Ohio
United States
Member #9
March 24, 2001
20,272 Posts
Offline

Nov 13, 2005, 1:28 pm

I'm just an average guy like most lottery players as is most people. I've been playing the lotteries for a long time and I've read many stories about people who've won a big jackpot and seen some of them on TV and never had any desire to associate with any of them. If I don't associate with them before they win a lottery jackpot, I have no reason to associate with them afterward and I would expect others to feel the same if I was a lottery winner. Having your picture taken holding the jackpot check is just part of the ritual of collecting your money when you win a large sum.

* you don't need to buy every combination, just the winning ones *

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