TRENTON, N.J. — Twenty-five years ago, Evelyn Adams had the unimaginable luck of winning the lottery twice in two years.
But opportunity morphed into misfortune for Adams, who ended up broke and living in a trailer after giving away and gambling away $5.4 million.
"Everybody wanted my money," the Ocean County woman told the website Bankrate.com in 2004. "Everybody had their hand out. I never learned one simple word in the English language — 'no.'"
Monday, a state Assembly panel sought to close the barn door.
The Assembly Regulatory Oversight and Gaming Committee approved a bill (A2982) by a vote of 5-0 that would give lottery winners like Adams the option of remaining anonymous for a year after winning the jackpot. A companion bill has not been introduced in the Senate.
Under current law, winners' identities are public information, and the state Lottery Commission can publicize their names, hometowns, prize winnings and photographs.
A spokeswoman for the lottery did not respond to questions about the bill or describe the commission's policy on releasing information about the winners, although its website sometimes omits their names and photographs.
Still, Assemblyman John Burzichelli (D-Gloucester), who sponsored the measure, said the information is all available through the Open Public Records Act. And he noted the game has changed from the small jackpots the state lottery awarded when it began in the early 1970s.
"If you look at our history when our lottery ... you didn't have these mega ball things, these multiple state lottery $300 million pots," Burzichelli said. "After some reading, there's a story here and there that surfaces about how this newfound wealth becomes a game changer for people."
He said he thought his proposal would also apply to such multistate lotteries as Powerball and Mega Millions, though he conceded he wasn't certain.
The lawmaker said he was led to introduce the bill from stories of misfortune among winners across the country:
- Jeffrey Dampier, a $20 million winner in Illinois, was kidnapped and killed by his sister-in-law and her boyfriend when they tried to get his money.
- William Post III of Pennsylvania, who won more than $16 million in 1988, was sued for a third of his winnings by a former landlord, found out his brother hired a contract killer to murder him and his wife, and fired a gun at a man who showed up at his home to collect a debt.
- Abraham Shakespeare of Florida, who won a $31 million jackpot in 2006, was found dead four years later. His girlfriend, Dee Dee Moore, was charged with the killing.
- Jack Whittaker of West Virginia, who won a $315 million Mega Millions jackpot 10 years ago, claims to have given away $50 million and then ran into several personal problems and family deaths. "I think if you have something, there's always someone else that wants it," he said on the ABC program "20/20." "I wish I'd torn that ticket up."
But Burzichelli's bill has at least five critics.
In March, a jury in Elizabeth awarded five laborers in Elizabeth $20 million after ruling that their coworker, Americo Lopes, cheated them out a jackpot they had won together.
The lawyer for the five, Eric Kahn, said Lopes kept his jackpot a secret from his co-workers, who learned of their bounty after Lopes told a supervisor and confirmed it on the Mega Millions website.
"If they had a provision for him to remain anonymous, my clients would not have known," Kahn said. "It would have been speculation. When there's a pool involved and there's a dispute and they're allowed to remain anonymous, it could cause a major problem. It would be much harder to prove what has been proven."
Burzichelli said other laws protect co-workers from being duped, but "he's correct in the fact that it may have taken them a little bit longer."
Bravo! I think this is a good start.
I feel so sad about what happened to Ms. Adams. She have all the money that time, but due to unavoidable situtions...everything disappeared. If she were just so cautious how to spend her millions, or where to invest it, maybe the money is triple in amount right now.
When you fill a bird feeder, they all come. When it's empty, they are no where around. Winning some money has the same effect. i hope all states do this.
".......bill has at least five critics"
And big suprise, one is a lawyer.
Of course, they see a gravytrain about to dry up.
I love the fact that they are going to remain anonymous but why just a year? Won't people hound you after a year is over? Aren't you still putting the winners in danger after a year?
Also, if the critics of this plan say that the lottery has to go public because of "office pools", then I say outlaw office pools. We all criticize the office pools anyway. All they do is create lawsuits.
So in addition to allowing the winner to "stay anonymous", I urge the NJ lawmakers to outlaw office pools so that the winners could remain anonymous even after one year. Forever!
There is real hope here but more change is needed to truly protect the identity of the winner.
OK, if they are going to wait a year, how are they going to annouce who won?
Are they just going to put up the name on the website or is it going to be all
over the news?
If they just put it up on the website without any big announcements after a year
no one will be paying attention and have forgotten by then.
What she never learned her whole life was.... How to take responsibilty for her own actions....
Perhaps a detail of armed security guards for every lottery winner???
Now there is...... CHANGE YOU CAN BELIEVE IN!!!!!
I have no problem saying NO.
I like the years' grace period...strategic planning would allow me to drop out of sight 1 hour after the "reveal".
Hope new york state follews this
I agree with golfer1960 in their post above. Why one year?
People will be waiting like vultures if they have any suspicion they know who the winner was.
Anonymous should mean anonymous with no time restriction.
If lawyers have to get involved may I once again suggest the JWPP - Jackpot Winners Protection Program - a parallel to the Witness Protection Program format, but the lawyers handle all attempted correspondence and contacts. Everything goes through 'the program' and the winners are 'in defilade'.
"Still, Assemblyman John Burzichelli (D-Gloucester), who sponsored the measure, said the information is all available through the Open Public Records Act."
Depends on the state laws and this state has Open Public Records statutes. This bill simply closes this public record for one year. I'll bet if you look closely at the fine print on this bill you'll see the anonymity doesn't apply to owing back Federal and state taxes, warrants, court fines, and/or child support.
I've noticed that states allowing anonymity like Ohio still publish the name of the store selling the ticket. If you knew the winning ticket was sold at a store near you and noticed your younger neighbor quit their job and bought expensive cars and toys, wouldn't you think that maybe they were the anonymous winner?
Are you sure? I know you only think of strangers begging hands but what about your inner circle of friends? what about your family?
If you can be able to say no and don't care for the relationship, because you know it'll never be the same after that, then you really have no problem.
I am not saying I'd give away all my money, but I'd have a hard time saying no to my close friends and relatives.
I would rather collect anonymously then reveal it to those I choose to gift some money. The rest can continue toiling like they are.
It is a good start, and it's about time...!
no doubt!
well,,,a year is good enough time to get your things together and get the hell out of dodge .
I already told my girfriend if we hit we're going to a realtor and getting a small place on credit in Maine till we figure out what exactly we will be doing.
This anonymity is wonderful! I hope that each state in our good 'ole U.S.A. acquires this very helpful law. One year is probably enough time to learn investing options, change one's name, and purchase/rent a new homestead in a different county or state. Good hope, etc.
When I said NO, I meant total strangers looking for a handout. As far as friends go, I'd give a few of them something and if they didn't like it, tough. As for family, well, immediate family gets a lot and the peripherals get what I can afford to give without affecting me in the long run.
maringoman,
On one of the lottery programs on TLC one jackpot winner said he had given several individuals $1,000,000 each - and every single one of them blew it all and came back asking for more.
"Slap another million on me, I know you've got it."
YES! About freakin' time someone finally owned up to the fact that winners become targets & need help to prevent them from becoming victims...
Coin Toss,
The time restriction is needed because if you want to get something done in jersey you must do it in baby steps.
for instance, statewide casino gambling was proposed in 74 and failed,
then atlantic city only was proposed in 76 and passed.
36 years goes by and it's being proposed for the medowlands (near jets, giants staduim, racetrack etc.)
now that won't happen under the current governer, but will happen at some point.
we should be called "the gradulism state" instead of "the garden state"
N.J. lottery.com does'nt even mention this,
LIMO
haymaker,
" ...for instance, statewide casino gambling was proposed in 74 and failed,..."
Oh there were casinos but the guys running them didn't want competition from legal casinos, and made some politicians 'offers they couldn't refuse', and greased some palms along with that.
Not Jersey but NY, one of the guys I worked with when I first got to Vegas learned to deal in NYC....the casino where he worked was on the 3rd floor of a building with a NYPD precinct HQ on the first floor.
As for the Jersey proposal, it's a baby step in the right direction but a 'time bomb' in the sense of putting an expiration date, so to speak, on remaining anonymous.
Yes, let the toilers toil........
I would have said, "Here is $1 million. You can do whatever you want with it, but this is a one shot deal. There will not be
any more after this. If you blow it, too bad that's on you".
Well, that's great. One year is more than enough to get used to the money and get used to the idea of being reach. Besides, being able to plan everything in one year to disappear after annoucement is more then enough.
After all, you have a chance to wait one year to claim the prize, but certain things is hard to prepare without the money. So, they basically give the same period of waiting. Just having the money in the pocket make a huge difference.
I would have said, show me your financial plan for making this money last for at least 20 years.
If I liked the plan give the green light, if not, not a thin dime.
For a large gift, I would put it in a annuity so a check goes out each month.
That's just brilliant Ronnie316!!!
Oh yeah....... and there are lots of choices too, like revocable, revertible, etc... etc....
I'm just glad you weren't my rich uncle growing up.
LOL. The great thing with the annuity is the principle can come back or be passed to anyone of choice.
Dont worry, I would have just handed YOU the cash.
For all we know the winner might have said exactly that.
Still didn't, or wouldn't stop anyone from coming back asking for another $1M.
People who ask a lottery winner for money have no shame. Not only they are degrading the lottery winner, they are degrading themselves. There is no legitimate reason to do it unless they owe you money before winning the lottery.
Unless they are bottom dwelling, scum sucking weasels, who will try to steal whatever morsels they can from you.
I would believe that should the winner give their blessings for a media release. so be it. However, if the winner would like to remain anonymous, then the proposed law could be invoked and honored. One could probably still find out who the winner is, but some serious digging would be required (perhaps a real "need to know" would be needed?).
As for a year passing and if no one was paying attention, that could be a real benefit for the winner too. Those that truly need to know would be the lottery office, the state tax dept and the IRS.
I'm glad to see N.J. protecting some winners. I believe anything can happen and anyone is capable.
I can't see why anyone would not have at least a copy of their pool tickets immediately after joining in a pool at work or where ever.
I'm not from Jersey but am a truck driver that's been delivering Jersey for about thirty years. Several years ago while delivering the Edison area on route one I stopped at a sandwich shop and noticed that they were selling tickets to a Florida powerball lottery. The Jackpot was over a hundred million dollars. I bought some tickets and gave the woman my money. she then replied to me that this was my receipt and when I could pick the tickets up. The store was closed the day I returned for my tickets and i never made it back till after the drawing. The tickets were given to me by the same woman who sold me the receipt for the tickets and she ignorantly informed me that this was a sandwich shop not a lottery store. I was speechless and took my ticket envelope and left the store. When I got back into my truck I opened my envelope and reviewed my Florida tickets. The ticket numbers were all in unison except for one that was completely different. Later the store owner claimed his portion of the winning tickets that claimed the jackpot. The man died a few years later as I understand. I'll always wonder who's money it was? I've seen the woman since operating a tool both on the Pa. Pike in the Harrisburg area. I often wonder what exactly was her take? Been some where around 20 25 years. Couldn't prove it then can't prove it now. But someone knows the truth. Need regulations on everything especially on the lotery!