exDemMom,
Not telling the family only works if the lottery involved is willing to handle the ticket redemption privately. Many demand it publicly because of the wonderful PR involved.
If you win, I wish you well. Seeing you as ‘exDemMom,’ I feel you’re not in the wasting-money mindset. That is wonderful, right there!!
Because of many of the problems associated with publicity, many states allow winners to claim their prize anonymously. On top of that, I live on the opposite coast as my family. They would never know.