States Consider Awarding Lottery Winners Something Else: Anonymity

NY Times ^ | 03-25-2015 | ALAN BLINDER

[NRx]

RALEIGH, N.C. — If you are lucky enough to win the lottery here, there is one thing you are virtually certain to lose: your privacy.

Like most of the 44 states with lotteries, North Carolina considers the identities of winners of large prizes to be a matter of public record. But this year, in which winners already have come forward more than 40 times to claim awards that the state later publicized, lawmakers have considered whether the winners should be allowed to collect their money without having their names disclosed.

[sten]

if you win a big lottery, don’t come forward right away.

start a trust.
sell the ticket to a ‘member’ of the trust, anonymously (might skip this)
have the trust start a corporation.
have a lawyer for the corporation turn in the ticket.
take the money as a one time sum.
once you’ve received the money, shutdown the corporation and drop the trust.

[Figment]

A couple of bucks on a powerball ticket isn’t gambling. I never knew anyone who went to a casino, plopped down a couple of dollars, lost and walked out

[Toddsterpatriot]

You've done a lot of paperwork and saved zero taxes.

Why did you do this?

[DCBryan1]

Easy. Set up a trust. Show up as a trustee of the trust wearing a paper sack. Problem solved. Quasi-anonymity.

[NRx]

Some states don’t allow trusts to claim the winning ticket. Most of those that do, do not permit blind trusts. So the names of the trustees would have to be a matter of public record.

[skimbell]

I live in Illinois.

If the state of Illinois told the population that they were going to begin allowing winners to remain anonymous, who in their right mind would play the game?

[sten]

to hide your identity from the public

[Mouton]

No one came by fortunately. Also I worked many hours and was home infrequently. Lastly, our yards faced each other as he was on another street across a green space.