Posted on 02/06/2018 12:22:32 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Just imagine this situation for a moment. You’ve checked your lottery tickets and discovered that you’ve won almost half a billion dollars. You’ve signed the ticket and are ready to go. What in the world would stop you at this point? That’s the issue facing one anonymous woman in New Hampshire right now. She’s got the valid winning ticket but wants the ability to receive her prize anonymously and not have her name announced for all to hear. (Washington Post)
The winning numbers triple-checked and the lottery ticket signed, the New Hampshire woman knew her life was about to change in a very positive way — except for one petrifying thing.
As the winner of last month’s $560 million Powerball, she would soon be the world’s newest owner of a nine-digit bank account.
But because of lottery rules, everyone in the world would know about it — neighbors, old high school friends, con artists, criminals.
Now the woman is asking a judge to let her keep the cash — and remain anonymous. In court documents obtained by NewHampshire.com, she is fittingly identified only as Jane Doe.
Jane Doe has a serious problem at this point because the law is not on her side. State laws require the names of lottery jackpot winners to be made public. Ms. Doe feels it violates her right to privacy and may endanger her life. This isn’t a unique problem for lottery winners. Unless you live in Delaware, Kansas, Maryland, North Dakota, Ohio or South Carolina, if you win the big prize, the state will publish your name.
My immediate, gut level reaction is to side with Jane Doe on this. Why shouldn’t people be allowed their privacy? It’s not illegal to win the lottery and how you handle your own finances (provided you’re not breaking the law) is your own business. If you land a new job with a great salary you’re not required to make that information public unless you work for the taxpayers. Also, as the WaPo article goes on to point out, there have actually been a significant number of jackpot winners who have been murdered in attempts to get their money. Others are blackmailed and virtually all of them are the targets of endless scammers and others seeking to separate them from their new riches.
The state has a definite, selfish motive for wanting to publicize the winners. It makes for great, free advertising to keep people playing. But they also make a case which is tough to argue with. If they never publish the names of the big winners and those people don’t come forward of their own accord, how does the public know that anyone is actually being paid and the whole thing isn’t a scam? Also, some of the people seeking anonymity may be doing so in order to hide out from debts which may be hanging over their heads.
This is one of those questions which may require a creative solution, assuming the states can be forced to accommodate the request. Perhaps some sort of independent commission which verifies the winners and keeps the names sealed but available if legal questions arise later? There’s definitely a public demand for such a solution. One poll conducted in New England a while back showed that the number one response to the question of what people would do if they won a massive jackpot was… keep it secret.
Yes. Most other countries allow winners of large prizes to remain anonymous as do a half dozen or so American states. All this does is put a bullseye on winners and make them a target for every moocher, con artist, investment huckster and nut job out there. People should not be required to put up with that.
I don’t know. Both sides make good points.
Depends on the rules. Why play the game if your not gonna follow the rules. Should have played in a state that allows it.
There's never a good point to be made to release someone's identity against their will.
When those rules were written in the 1970’s they were to assure players that the lottery was on the up-and-up and that some real person DID eventually win the prize.
But today, with the internet, GPS, reams of data about everyone online, hardened criminals surfing the web, violent gangs, etc.....there is a real good argument to be made for changing this.
It’s all in the details. This lady screwed up royally and she did so by signing the ticket and per the law in New Hampshire whoever signs the ticket is disclosed. What she should have done is formed a trust or an LLC and had the trust or the LLC sign the ticket plus she could remain anonymous. But she screwed that up this is all about a bunch of nothing the lady screwed up and that’s that
Set up a trust and have some anonymous legal beagle pick up your lottery check on behalf of the law firm.
“The art of taxation consists in so plucking the goose as to obtain the largest possible amount of feathers with the smallest possible amount of hissing” - Jean Baptiste ColbertOn the other hand, as is stated in the next-to-last paragraph of this article, " The state has a definite, selfish motive for wanting to publicize the winners. It makes for great, free advertising to keep people playing."
Funny, aren't we told that the role of every unit of government, whether local, state, or federal is "to protect the citizens"?
She could have remained Anonymous but having her Trust collect the winnings but she signed the ticket there for whoever signs the ticket in New Hampshire is disclosed. That said there have been numerous other winners in New Hampshire who had their trust collect the winnings and to this day our anonymous
I think there is another reason the names maybe shouldn’t be anonymous. How can the lottery officials be kept honest if there is no way to check up on the supposed winners? If the names are a “state secret” who and how can anyone open up the secret list, to check it out, for the purpose of auditing the announced lottery results? To audit the lottery, the secret list would have to be opened to some sort of public accountability, and in that process most likely names of winners would get revealed.
This is similar to investing in a stock or other personal purchase, the Lottery doesn't own their winners - just more advertisement to the folks to buy tickets!
This country has opened up waaaay too much personal information and disguised stuff that could be and should be opened, i.e. shots of perps running from robberies, hit and runs, police shoots or attacks, etc.
I know, I know it's a way for the media to cover up the race of violent perps but the police could pick up way more felons if their photos would be shared from cameras.
I’ve read that if you ever win the lottery, you’re supposed to put the ticket in a safe deposit box, hire a lawyer, then listen to their advice.
Before going to the lottery commission the attorney will likely have your property checked for safety and install no-trespassing signs, if not an actual fence and gate.
Trip and fall con artists will be all over your property. As will anyone you know who may think they can squeeze a settlement out of you for a variety or reasons.
What you describe is why the question is moot. Lottery winners become known, formally or informally.
True anonymity allows politicians and their cronies to hijack even more money that isn’t theirs.
In the Granite State, New Hampshire?
What ever happened to, “Live Free Or Die!”
Absolutely...
Get a clue then fella. How about a government sponsored agency collecting money, saying an anonymous person won, yet never awarding a prize? They must publish the person's name and award photographs and video so that everyone else will know that the drawing was fair and aboveboard.
Jane Doe just got caught in a "D'oh!" moment. Suck it up buttercup. You'll have enough wealth now buy your way out of the related problems.
If you are in Colorado and wish to remain anonymous, you must claim the winnings through a trust.
Broadcasting the winners ID sends all sorts of ministers, nuts, bunko artists and criminals after them.
She will definitely need personal security for awhile and can afford it. When you win that kind of money you change your phone number and move. And get bodyguards. Personally I’d rent a villa in Provence for a few months til it all died down. :-)
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