This is undoubtedly one of the most important posts that you will ever see at Lottery Post, and as someone who has posted on here for years, I honestly suggest that you read this very carefully!
For months, I thought about what I would do if I won the lottery, and what my life would be like. I thought about where I would want to buy my tickets. Sometimes, I would think about being anonymous. Sometimes, I would think about whether to hold a news conference if I couldn't be anonymous in a certain state.
I wanted to point out that whether you play your numbers or play quick pick, the most important thing regarding the lottery is what you do AFTER you win. That is the REAL test.
I know that all of you are wondering why I would keep preaching that you should be anonymous if you win. You are probably tired of hearing me talk about this topic. But I feel that it is in the best interest of the lottery winner to become anonymous. There are several reasons why I think that it is important to play the lottery in a state where you can be anonymous:
#1. You are GUARANTEED to get the money!!!!
If you claim the lottery prize and your name becomes public, anyone (whether the person is a family member, relative, friend, ex-girlfriend, ex-boyfriend, or stranger) could file a lawsuit, claiming that he/she is entitled to a share of the money. Last night's episode of Windfall has become a reality for actual lottery winners. If you saw the episode, a woman named "Sonny" who was out of town on the night of the drawing was able to file a lawsuit against 20 people who won the jackpot. I don't want to spoil the show for you if you haven't watched it, so I will leave it at that. There is a lawsuit filed by a Southern California man against a group of Mega Millions winners for a $315 lottery jackpot prize. The lawsuit is going to trial and the money is frozen until the trial is resolved. There have been times in the past when lawsuits would cost so much time that people have died before the case was resolved. Imagine the legal fees and time spent all because someone decided to play a "game".
#2. There is NO possibility of family feuds.
If you win and your name goes public, the first people who will have a hand out are the people who know you personally. Even if you change your phone number, people will still email you and relatives you haven't seen in years will come out of the woodwork looking for you.
I read about what happened to William "Bud" Post III, a former carnival worker and cook who did several odd jobs and won $16 million in the Pennsylvania Super 7 lottery in 1988. His ex-girlfriend successfully sued him for a third of the winnings and one of his siblings allegedly hired a hitman to kill him. Relatives asked Bud Post to loan them money, and his siblings pestered him to set up business ventures which later failed. The failures of those businesses strained the relationships between Post and his siblings.
Parents will want you to spend lavishly on them and their "friends". If you have siblings, don't tell me that they won't constantly want a monetary gift. Don't get me wrong. I know that everyone has a moral obligation to help his/her family. But as Robert Sanford says in his book "Infinite Financial Freedom" in the chapter, Don't Give into Family Pressures, there is a right way and a wrong way to help people, and you must follow your plan, NOT theirs. But there is NO way that family members can fight you over YOUR money if they don't know that you won to begin with.
#3. You won't have to worry about the possibility of jealous friends.
Friends will ask you for money and treat you like a human checking account. If you turn them down, they will loathe you and resent you. Some friends will be jealous of you. Robert Sanford points out in his book, "Infinite Financial Freedom", that some friends will expect you to pay for entire outings when you are with them. He also says in the chapter "Expect to Lose Some Friends" that "Human nature is what it is and you, in turn, will lose some friends. Sorry." If you are anonymous, you can keep your money AND your friends, because no one except you and the lawyer will know that you won to begin with, as long as you keep your mouth shut.
#4. You won't have to worry about those annoying lawsuits
Bud Post was sued from an ex-girlfriend for a third of his jackpot prize. And they weren't even married. Jack Whittaker gets sued from an employee at a race track and from a bar manager. A parking attending in New York wins a Mega Millions jackpot, and his wife IMMEDIATELY divorces him and sues him for half of the money. If you win the lottery and your name gets public, you better be DAMN careful about who you marry, and you better get a pre-nuptual agreement. Because if you are not careful, that golddigger of a new spouse will want half of your money! However, if you are anonymous, such problems are not even an issue.
#5. You will have ABSOLUTE privacy.
Many lottery winners whose identities become public feel the pressure from the news media who repeatedly ask for interviews, strangers asking for money, and relatives coming out of the woodwork. Imagine what your life would be like if you were at a movie theater and people walked up to you asking for money. You might as well stay at home 24/7 in a GATED community. Many people who win the lottery would NOT even want to go through that initial aftermath again. But if you remain anonymous (in certain states such as North Dakota, Delaware, Kansas, and a few other states with the help of an attorney and trusts), you can actually live a NORMAL life.
********* AND THE MOST IMPORTANT REASON *********
#6. The safety of you and those around you.
A while back, I read an online article from the USA Today (http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-11-27-lottery-win_x.htm). The article points out the problems that happened to lottery winners after their windfall. Some lottery winners have died and even people who didn't win have lost their lives as a result of being around a lottery winner's family. Imagine if you or your loved one was kidnapped for ransom. The lottery winner from West Virginia lost his granddaughter and someone died in his home. A woman from Minnesota whose husband won the Powerball in 2001 was responsible for a drunk-driving accident which killed one person and paralyzed another. But if you are anonymous, you can be assured that you and your family will be safe.
I know that many people are probably tired of hearing me point out the importance of anonymity, and I apologize for the extremely long post. But this website is the most important lottery message forum on the Internet. And I believe that we have the most determined lottery players in the world looking through the web pages of this site. Todd has brought to us a great forum for research and communicating with lottery players around the world.
I would like to thank Todd for a great web site, and I would like to thank all the people who come here to post their thoughts on the message forum. I would love to hear your thoughts regarding lottery stories and responses to my post. Remember, as Robert Sanford points out in his book, what is most important is WHAT YOU DO AFTER YOU WIN. It would be a shame if someone from Lottery Post screwed up his/her life from a lottery windfall despite the invaluable information that can be found throughout these forums. Thank you Todd for a great website, and thanks to all of you here at Lottery Post for your time in reading my thoughts.
Good Luck to All of You
Sincerely Yours,
rundown99