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Phantom-2040

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August 19, 2017
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Aug 19, 2017, 11:01 pm

This is a topic that has interested me and one I feel other people on this forum might be in agreement with me on this. I sometimes play the lottery and like most people I do think about the possibility of winning one of the bigger jackpots even though the chances of winning are extremely low. One thing I cannot wrap my mind around is the fact that in nearly every other country in the world lottery winners are allowed to remain anonymous for the obvious safety reasons.

Unfortunately in America there are alot of states that do not allow this and do not seem to care that publicly listing a jackpot winner of Mega Millions or Powerball would set the person up for so much trouble, some of it even life threatening. If I won one of these big jackpots I would like to remain in the same town I live in but I fear if I won such a thing I would have to move because unfortunately there would likely be a lot of harrassment and entitlement from strangers who would feel they are owed a part of your jackpot win.

Does anyone here feel the laws have to change in these states to allow the winners the option of remaining anonymous?

I just feel it's overwhelming enough for a person to dumped with a multimillion dollar lottery win that they shouldn't have the extra stress of having to fear harassment or being kidnapped and possibly murdered over their good luck.
Raven62

25

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Aug 19, 2017, 11:25 pm

Quote: Originally posted by Phantom-2040 on Aug 19, 2017
This is a topic that has interested me and one I feel other people on this forum might be in agreement with me on this. I sometimes play the lottery and like most people I do think about the possibility of winning one of the bigger jackpots even though the chances of winning are extremely low. One thing I cannot wrap my mind around is the fact that in nearly every other country in the world lottery winners are allowed to remain anonymous for the obvious safety reasons.

Unfortunately in America there are alot of states that do not allow this and do not seem to care that publicly listing a jackpot winner of Mega Millions or Powerball would set the person up for so much trouble, some of it even life threatening. If I won one of these big jackpots I would like to remain in the same town I live in but I fear if I won such a thing I would have to move because unfortunately there would likely be a lot of harrassment and entitlement from strangers who would feel they are owed a part of your jackpot win.

Does anyone here feel the laws have to change in these states to allow the winners the option of remaining anonymous?

I just feel it's overwhelming enough for a person to dumped with a multimillion dollar lottery win that they shouldn't have the extra stress of having to fear harassment or being kidnapped and possibly murdered over their good luck.

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Kingofearth

Israel
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May 5, 2016
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Aug 20, 2017, 12:30 am

Quote: Originally posted by Phantom-2040 on Aug 19, 2017
This is a topic that has interested me and one I feel other people on this forum might be in agreement with me on this. I sometimes play the lottery and like most people I do think about the possibility of winning one of the bigger jackpots even though the chances of winning are extremely low. One thing I cannot wrap my mind around is the fact that in nearly every other country in the world lottery winners are allowed to remain anonymous for the obvious safety reasons.

Unfortunately in America there are alot of states that do not allow this and do not seem to care that publicly listing a jackpot winner of Mega Millions or Powerball would set the person up for so much trouble, some of it even life threatening. If I won one of these big jackpots I would like to remain in the same town I live in but I fear if I won such a thing I would have to move because unfortunately there would likely be a lot of harrassment and entitlement from strangers who would feel they are owed a part of your jackpot win.

Does anyone here feel the laws have to change in these states to allow the winners the option of remaining anonymous?

I just feel it's overwhelming enough for a person to dumped with a multimillion dollar lottery win that they shouldn't have the extra stress of having to fear harassment or being kidnapped and possibly murdered over their good luck.

America being horrifyingly stupid, what a surprise.
Hopefully one day America will start acting like a developed country when it comes to lottery anonymity and buying lottery tickets online.

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Stack47

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Aug 20, 2017, 1:38 pm

Quote: Originally posted by Kingofearth on Aug 20, 2017
America being horrifyingly stupid, what a surprise.
Hopefully one day America will start acting like a developed country when it comes to lottery anonymity and buying lottery tickets online.

If you win a prize over $600 in Ohio, you're required to produce a notarized statement saying you owe no back child support to claim your winnings. And lots of states are now checking to see if large prize winners are collecting public assistance.

Should the people owing thousands in back child support or taxes be allowed to collect their pay checks anonymously too?
realtorjim

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Aug 20, 2017, 4:07 pm

Quote: Originally posted by Stack47 on Aug 20, 2017
If you win a prize over $600 in Ohio, you're required to produce a notarized statement saying you owe no back child support to claim your winnings. And lots of states are now checking to see if large prize winners are collecting public assistance.

Should the people owing thousands in back child support or taxes be allowed to collect their pay checks anonymously too?

States that allow anonymity still perform a background check on winners, respective of back child support and past due taxes. Claiming anonymously does not relieve the collection and payment of these obligations. They are incognito as to the aspect of claiming the prize, but not to the eyes of the powers that be.

I'm feeling a $312,000,000.00 jackpot win coming my way!
Stack47

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Aug 21, 2017, 12:34 am

Quote: Originally posted by realtorjim on Aug 20, 2017
States that allow anonymity still perform a background check on winners, respective of back child support and past due taxes. Claiming anonymously does not relieve the collection and payment of these obligations. They are incognito as to the aspect of claiming the prize, but not to the eyes of the powers that be.

What if the Iowa Lottery had allowed Crawford Shaw to anonymously claim that Hot Lotto Jackpot for Hexham Investments Trust. Would Tipton and his band of merry men still be rigging that game?

The subject is probably discussed here much more than among non LP member lottery players, but it's still an individual state thing so it's not like the West Virginia lottery players can demand that PA grants anonymity.
realtorjim

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Aug 21, 2017, 8:04 pm

Quote: Originally posted by Stack47 on Aug 21, 2017
What if the Iowa Lottery had allowed Crawford Shaw to anonymously claim that Hot Lotto Jackpot for Hexham Investments Trust. Would Tipton and his band of merry men still be rigging that game?

The subject is probably discussed here much more than among non LP member lottery players, but it's still an individual state thing so it's not like the West Virginia lottery players can demand that PA grants anonymity.

Aye, it's important to remember anonymity does not release due diligence by the lottery. It just cloaks the winners identity, not the scrutiny from the lottery. If there appears to something askew they're going to investigate. Anonymous does not mean impunity.

I'm feeling a $312,000,000.00 jackpot win coming my way!
TheGameGrl

A long and winding road
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Aug 21, 2017, 10:09 pm

Total transparency. Enough said.

When I win on Wednesday my transparency will come with some well intentioned body guards. *Wink*

Count your smiles.
KY Floyd

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Aug 22, 2017, 12:18 am

"What if the Iowa Lottery had allowed Crawford Shaw to anonymously claim"

What part of the lottery knowing who claims a prize even when the winner's identity isn't released to the public is still confusing you? When winners are allowed to remain anonymous it means that the lottery doesn't release their name to the public, not that the lottery just hands them a big bag of cash and sends them on their way.
Stack47

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Aug 22, 2017, 10:01 pm

Quote: Originally posted by KY Floyd on Aug 22, 2017
"What if the Iowa Lottery had allowed Crawford Shaw to anonymously claim"

What part of the lottery knowing who claims a prize even when the winner's identity isn't released to the public is still confusing you? When winners are allowed to remain anonymous it means that the lottery doesn't release their name to the public, not that the lottery just hands them a big bag of cash and sends them on their way.

"What part of the lottery knowing who claims a prize even when the winner's identity isn't released to the public is still confusing you?"

Shaw was claiming on the behalf of for Hexham Investments Trust a shell company set up in Belize. Isn't the point of creating a trust to protect the real winner(s) identity?
Salam1

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Aug 22, 2017, 11:38 pm

I actually hate that some states let winners remain anonymous. Everytime I see a trust claim a prize i always think a lottery official is claiming it. It would be so easy to do so.
KY Floyd

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Aug 23, 2017, 12:34 am

Quote: Originally posted by Stack47 on Aug 22, 2017
"What part of the lottery knowing who claims a prize even when the winner's identity isn't released to the public is still confusing you?"

Shaw was claiming on the behalf of for Hexham Investments Trust a shell company set up in Belize. Isn't the point of creating a trust to protect the real winner(s) identity?

What part of the lottery knowing who claims a prize even when only the name of the winner's trust is released to the public is confusing you?

What the lottery knows about the winner and what the lottery tells the public about the winner are completely different things. They never release the winner's address, phone number, or social security number, but I assume you don't think that means that they don't know what they are.

There are several states that don't allow winners to remain anonymous, but allow them to claim as a trust and release only the name pf the trust to the public. I'd assume that those states are checking to see who the people behind the trust are, especially since those trusts are almost always created after the ticket was bought by an actual person and the laws of most states require that certain moneys that the winner may owe be deducted. It should be extremely obvious that in the case of Hexham Investments Trust Iowa did check to see who was behind the trust rather than just validating the ticket and handing over the money. We just don't see news stories about it when the lottery checks to see who's behind the trust and finds out that it's a normal everyday lottery layer with nothing to hide.

The point of creating a trust is to deal with finances and protect assets, and you can do that regardless of the state's policy on releasing information to the public. Shielding your identity is just a bonus that you get if a state that doesn't allow anonymity only releases the name of the trust.
Teddi

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Aug 23, 2017, 4:56 am

Quote: Originally posted by Salam1 on Aug 22, 2017
I actually hate that some states let winners remain anonymous. Everytime I see a trust claim a prize i always think a lottery official is claiming it. It would be so easy to do so.

How would that be any harder than a lottery official hiring a person to claim a prize? Just because you see a person give an interview doesn't make the process of transparency any more legitimate. It all comes down to the auditors and the IT personnel. Those are the ONLY people that stop the lotteries from being a free-for-all scam. If you rely on a name and photo to give lottery winners legitimacy then you're incredibly naive. I know that I'm privy to a lot of things the general public isn't when it comes to fraud and what people are willing to do and risk, but I'd have thought that after the scandal that was Bernie Madoff, that the general public would have gotten a clue. MUSL isn't kept honest by putting the winners in harm's way by exposing their identities. Their honesty is only as good as the people regulating them and the transparency of those people's findings. That's it. Not the winners' names, locations or media face time.

FYI

For your issue to have merit, you'd have to concede that every state that doesn't mandate a press conference be given is every bit as susceptible to fraud you think would occur as states with full anonymity. How does a first initial, surname and city carry any more weight at being authentic than a trust? A report saying that S Brown from Atlanta was the sole claimant of the $700 million powerball jackpot would have zero meaning. That information is meaningless in establishing non-fraudulent activity because not only is that name incredibly common, it's even more common in that location. So unless every claimant was something like V Jayasingh from Roseville Michigan, a partial identity is worthless too.

I too would prefer Cersei Lannister to Tiny Hands. She always pays her debts, hasn't filed 6 bankruptcies and is educated enough to know Nambia isn't a country.
zephbe

South Carolina
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Aug 23, 2017, 12:13 pm

I would hate not winning more than I would hate someone knowing it was me that won.

That's like worrying about the taxes on a jackpot. Tax me on a jackpot and see if I care.

Form a trust or something that your state allows to protect your identity and enjoy the win if you get lucky. You can always move to a gated community with security if you need to.

Every champion was once a contender who refused to give up.-Rocky Balboa

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OldHippie

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Aug 23, 2017, 1:04 pm

Quote: Originally posted by zephbe on Aug 23, 2017
I would hate not winning more than I would hate someone knowing it was me that won.

That's like worrying about the taxes on a jackpot. Tax me on a jackpot and see if I care.

Form a trust or something that your state allows to protect your identity and enjoy the win if you get lucky. You can always move to a gated community with security if you need to.

You and your fellow South Carolinians are very fortunate that your state allows you to claim lottery prizes with a trust and remain anonymous. I wish it were that way in the state where I now reside. That being said, you can claim the prize with a trust in any state, and that should be a major consideration for anyone, no matter if your state allows you to keep your name out of the picture or not. Asset protection will stave off 99.9999% of all hostile advances on YOUR money.

And lastly, go hang out on some island down in the Caribbean for a few months until all the hubbub has died down.