RICHMOND, Va. — A bill that would allow lottery winners in Virginia to remain anonymous has cleared one hurdle toward becoming a law.
The bill passed in the Senate Friday morning, but still has to be approved by the House of Delegates. It passed with a 33-7 vote.
Sen. Lionell Spruill, Sr. (D-Chesapeake) helped introduced the bill, which would let winners submit a notice to the Virginia Lottery that they do not wish to have their name or personal information disclosed.
The bill would not, however, prevent lottery officials from releasing the hometown of the winner — or the amount of the prize.
Virginia is one of many states across the county where lottery winners cannot stay a secret. A handful of states — including Maryland and South Carolina — allow winners to remain anonymous.
In the FAQ section of its website,the Virginia Lottery says a winner's name, hometown, date of the winning and location of where the ticket was bought are all public record.
People who win "larger or unusual" prizes have their photo taken when they accept their winnings. That photo is then released publically on platforms including Facebook and Twitter.
The States that don't allow their Lottery Winners to Claim their Prize Anonymously need to Join the Me To Movement!
but why do I suspect thars going to be a price tag attached for being able to make the choice ??
Omg. I had no clue this was ever going to be a possibility. It would certainly keep more ticket sales in VA for all the people who work and buy their tickets in DC but live in VA. I don't spend $10 a year in VA on tickets. VA promotes winner pics and info to the max.
l would love to wake up one morning out here in CA to news like this. However, l seriously doubt that will happen. Our lottery thinks they have gone far enough. At present, they release the name, amount of the prize, city where the ticket was purchased- but not where the winner lives. Transparency, they call it, millions of players out here, call it
Hopefully, one day it will change. I mean if pot is now lawfully sold in stores....
And here's to brave Virginia
the Old Dominion state....
with the other anonymous states
at length has made her stand
Now it is up to the House of Delegates to pass this bill. Almost everyone knows that crazies abound in this World.
Would a regular rich person flash their cash in public? The risks are too high to the winner and his/her family.
Besides crazies there are JERKS. Jealous, Envious, Resentful, Kill Joys. It is almost human nature to demand money from a lottery winner. People are saddled with debt and they see another who is rich and say, "That money could pay off a fair bit of debt". "You did not earn it so what's yours is mine". Relatives come to mind. I found this information on YouTube which has Insight: Unexpected Wealth with Jenny Brokie. Mark Gardiner who won eleven million pounds in Britain used the story of a Green-eyed Monster Jealousy, Envious, Resentment. I added Killjoys.
I hope this bill passes and the Governor signs it.
I would suggest for a bit more background on the bill and one of the big pushers, people need to look at Del. Lee Ware(R) Powhatan. There was a nice article done in a local paper called the Virginian Pilot in the politics section. It came out a month ago,12-20-18. Normally, I would post a link to the site but the last time I did that, it was deleted. The article also talks about the past winner Joe Dennette from 2009 and how he gets harassed to this day, along with referring to other winners from other state. I am wondering who the 7 folks are that voted against this and if they have a R or a D affiliated with their name ?? I am also wondering if the limit is still set at the minimal $10 Million mark for anonymity ? Other than it being the biggest scratch ticket prize.
Congrats to the lottery players for a potential future of not having everyone knowing your finances.
CDanaT, I remember Joe Dennette and can find him on YouTube. He made the mistake of going beyond what is required. It is a shame that he is still being harassed.
Joe is enjoying his family that the Lottery helped create. Is he still the owner of a car racing team? That is his dream as well.
I can plan on moving after a major win.
My advice is to stay away from My Lottery Dream Home and The Lottery Changed My Life. The less publicity the better.
People who win "larger or unusual" prizes have their photo taken when they accept their winnings. That photo is then released publicly on platforms including Facebook and Twitter.
I'm sure that could be a literal death sentence for some winners. If I had to have my photo taken, they can take one of my backside.
grwurston, You live in Maryland which grants anonymity to a jackpot winner. I do understand your position on "larger or unusual" prizes. Ask politely and the Lottery Officials may grant your wishes when you say, "NO" to the photo celebrity and "NO" to the Media Availability.
l think that lotteries across the country should treat players with more respect. By that l mean: provide the playing public with options. Would you " like to meet the press, have a media shoot, or none at all?" After all, they go to great lengths to lure players, asking, almost begging us to open our wallets and play their games. I think it prudent to be asked: When you win, can we use your " initials " & hometown in promoting our games.l for one would agree. So if you are Jane Milly Ross, we going to state that " JMR" from Riverside Park won the $250 million jackpot. That's protection enough, for me.
Another disrespect is not informing the winner of the accurate figures when you choose Lump Sum. The winners think that they will get the full annuity amount. When they do their taxes they are in for a surprise.
The unexpected deaths of past winners should be taken into account. Do we really need more deaths?
Exactly why I very rarely play in VA and if I do, I try the $1 million bank a million game. At least DC does not define a claimant so I could claim with a trust like a big winner did around 2009.
LOL!! maybe the ones passing the joints are now passing the bills such as these. Gotta love those who fear for their recognition.
transparency in govt and ppl needs to be kept relevant.
Nays: Chase, Dunnavant, Mason, Obenshain, Petersen, Suetterlein, Surovell
Party: R, R, D, R, D, R, D
It would be much worse for a state lottery if they refused to pay a jackpot winner because they wouldn't attend a media horse and pony show.
Your idea of publishing the initials is similar to KY Lottery scrolling the first name and home town of online winners. The site shows lots of regular game and scratch-off winners and shows where the tickets were purchased, but very few names and pictures.
The thing is some people are arguing that by granting anonymity to lottery winners, they getting more rights than people who are falsely accused of crimes. And buying lottery tickets is voluntary and by doing so players agree to the rules and regulations.
Lottery winners in Virginia could soon be able to stay anonymous, but there’s a catch.
If a bill before the General Assembly passes, identities could remain secret for lottery winners in the commonwealth who win $10 million or more.
I take to question your last sentence. Am thinking of that New Hampshire woman who fought for anonymity even though NH rules state you can't be anonymous. I think it was a huge Powerball win. She sued, she won...typical I think of this litigious society we live in.
So now you can be anonymous if this passes DE, MD, and VA---DelMarVa.
NH is like DC and the rules do not define a claimant as an individual only, so claiming via a trust, etc. was on the table. I am glad she sued and won and did lottery players a huge favor. She had the right to claim in multiple ways.
VA is a different situation. VA defines a claimant as an individual only.
Where does it say $10 million or more? The "catch" cited was releasing the hometown and amount of the win. Hardly a catch. I cannot imagine any winner being unhappy with that result.
Australian states lotteries allow winners to remain anonymous, which the vast majority choose to do.
It dates back to the 1960s, when lottery winners had their kidnapped and killed. It became clear that publicly identifing lottery winners was very dangerous.
Another disadvantage to begin publicly identified, than many people don't consider, is the media republishing, and photographs, whenever the lottery is in headlines.
dannyct,
The US really needs to copy Australia.
We've had the same kind of incidents you mentioned here in the US but the states that don't allow winners to remain anonymous give a song and dance about wanting the public to know that winners are real people.
The NH verdict was based on her wanting to use a trust to claim the winners which the lottery denied her because she signed the back of the ticket. Just looking at the KY Lottery website there are players that want to have their pictures taken holding an over sized check.
Other countries with lotteries allow anonymity, but we have individual state lotteries that create their own laws, rules, and regulations. The argument that all states should allow anonymity is like saying because some states use RNGs, all states should.
If it passes the lower house the pressure is on for North Carolina and DC to change their lottery rules too, as both will be sandwiched between anony-states.
"even though NH rules state you can't be anonymous."
Turns out there's not actually a rule that says lottery winners can't be anonymous. NH has an open records law that makes information about most government business available to the public. The lottery believed that complying with that law required them to treat the identities of winners as information that was public under the state law because what the lottery does is government business.
I read the ruling but don't remember much detail so I can't say for sure how much it was based on the existing lottery policy that allowed winners to remain anonymous by using a trust as the claimant, but I think that was pretty significant. I also don't recall what may have been said about exemptions to the information that had to be released, but the winner's situation may have been analogous to something else that's exempt from the requirement for public access.
I am wondering if that NH lawsuit is having other broader benefits by having another state like Virginia even consider claiming anonymously. Winners want that option for their safety and it would certainly bring in more dollars.
Categories of claimant options: Feel free to add. Let's develop a list.
1.) 100% automatically anonymous. See MD.
2.) 100% not anonymous. Claimant must be an individual only based on lottery rules. See VIRGINIA
3.) Claimant or anonymity issue not addressed in lottery rules. So trusts, etc. are an option for claiming. See DC and NH.
4.) Limited anonymity based on time and /or winning amount. Winner may remain anonymous for a specific period of time and/or above a specific $ amount. Texas?
5) Other.
If anyone wants to add a state to one of these categories, we can develop a comprehensive listing.
I transposed the states you mentioned and switched it around a taste. I put ALABAMA in there and said they'd have to get a lottery since they're sandwiched between lottery playing states. Maybe walking 2 miles in 8 degree weather with the dog affected my silly cells in my brain!
I moved this to the jackpot forum thread.
Artist77,
Along with the no tax I think it was savagegoose who once posted that the Australian lottery has a NP on the play slips, No Publicity.
That's a very quick and neat way to handle it.
Ok. Thanks Coin Toss. But does Australia still release the names or other info? I can put that under other.
"I am wondering if that NH lawsuit is having other broader benefits"
A while back PA allowed a winner to claim with a trust and only released the name of the trust and (probably, but I'm not positive) the name of the trustee. A lottery rep referenced the NH case in explaining their decision. I haven't gone digging for the specific rules in PA, but that may indicate that PA's "requirement" to release winners' identities is also covered under a right to know law rather than a specific lottery rule or other law. Of course it's also possible that they decided that when a prize is claimed by a trust a specific requirement to identify the winner is satisfied by identifying the trust and trustee. A trust is a legitimate legal person, so a trust that claims a prize is the winner, but an actual person is a better marketing tool.
While the NH case isn't binding precedent in other states it could be writing on the wall to suggest the outcome if a similar case is filed in another state that allows trusts to claim prizes. Based on the NH right to know law I think there's a fair chance the case would have been reversed on appeal, but right from the start some of the phrasing used by a lottery rep made it sound like they'd have let Jane Doe claim in the name of the trust if they didn't think the law prevented them from doing so based on the signed ticket. In any other state that relies on a right to know law lottery executives or the AG (if they issue an opinion) probably have a fair amount of leeway to decide if just the name of the trust and trustee is sufficient to meet the legal requirement.
Not sure, Artist, but if they offer a NP box on the play slip why would they release the names?
Depends on how publicity is defined.
Found something, Artist;
https:///help/
Can I claim jackpot prizes anonymously? is the first of the five top questions.
Dead link Cointoss.
Very useful info. So maybe it will have bipartisan support and not become a D or R issue. My hopes are high here.
I wish it was $1 million or more.
Here you go, Artist, hope this one doesn't disappear;
The great thing about playing lotto in Australia is that winners can choose to remain anonymous and keep their privacy, unlike in the United States where winners don’t have such a choice, and are often thrown into a media circus.
https://www.ozlotteries.com/blog/how-to-remain-anonymous-when-you-win-lotto/
My mind went to the young man from Georgia who was murdered a few years ago after a win.
In the article in the link i first posted that disappeared it stated that Australia changed their policy to allow winners to remain anonymous after one had been killed.
But why would someone go to DC to buy tickets (those who live in VA) when you can claim anonymously in Maryland?
This will be right on time for me to win with my future ticket I bought for March 5th. It would be the perfect break-up gift to myself. *Laughs in Mojo-jojo*
P.S this is my ex's B-Day so to win on her birthday AND be allowed to keep it a secret is like having your gray-hound ticket upgraded to a private jet with the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders
The young man from Georgia was Craigory Burch Jr. a 20-year-old Fantasy 5 winner. He won $434,272.00 on 11/30/2015. Seven of the murderers have been caught.
Some say that he should have been more discreet about gifting charities.
I believe that anonymity would have saved his life. Lessons for all of us to learn.
Because many VA people work in DC and I certainly don't have the time for a long metro trip to MD and then metro and a bus home to VA. Some of us work long hours. I cannot think of any person I know of who works in DC who would have that much free time.
DC allows a trust option since a claimant is not defined as a person. So DC is the much better option for now.
Ah sweet. I did't know that....although I guess in my situation it's irrelevant information since I don't work in DC nor do I want to be stuck down there. Plus creating a trust is more work than just informing the MD lottery office that I wish to claim anonymously.
paymentplan-man, can always count on you for a good laugh. Winning on your ex's BD...how wonderful would that be--and she wouldn't be entitled to know, let alone any of the $$$.
"creating a trust is more work than just informing the MD lottery office that I wish to claim anonymously."
Anonymity is just the side benefit of forming a trust. If you win enough that anonymity really matters you'd be an idiot to not form a trust simply because it's a trust.
Oklahoma needs to start doing that including all states
They need to release the winners names because the State or their own workers might start crooking the system. The public needs to see if the Stores are puffing through the lottery tickets for the winning tickets, such as in scratch-offs.
Transparency needs to be balanced against the rights of a winner. A jackpot win can be a death sentence so the state needs to come up with options. They have an obligation to do so. Audits, etc. can raise the confidence level with attempts to "crook the system."
Any states that sells lottery tickets , should be ALL Anonymous ................
What happen to Safety First ???
I'm sure would feel very much different if they were subjected to the harsh spotlight of a media blitz
An indepdent audit eliminates this possibility. There is no need to publicize winners and subject them to harassment for marketing purposes.
If I won a huge amount, I would do a media interview if they give me 30% more in winnings to compensate. Of course they don't do that, so screw them.
One time I won $5,000 at a slot machine at a tribal casino in New Mexico, and after the paperwork was completed for the W-2G, they wanted to take my picture. They gave me the option of a full face photo, or I could hold up a "smiley face" sign in front of my face. Five thousand bucks is not much, so I went for the full face picture.
"They need to release the winners names because the State or their own workers might start crooking the system."
It's theoretically possible, but conspiracies of that sort rarely happen outside of the movies. Even with lousy security protocols of the sort that let Eddie Tipton scam the lottery pretending there was a winner when there really wasn't would have to involve several people. Besides everybody keeping the secret, simply sharing the money would create a risk of exposure. Somebody has to accept a claim form and ticket from somebody they don't know (or at least somebody they don't know as a lottery employee). Somebody has to physically examine the ticket. Somebody has to check the computer records and find an entry showing that the ticket actually exists. Even with really poor security protocols there's probably still a minimum of 3 people necessary, and several more are likely.
Announcing the names of winners is all about marketing.