Virginia recently implemented a law which will permit lottery winners to collect their prizes anonymously regardless of prize size, increasing protections against privacy invasion for winners across Virginia. This change aims to improve privacy protections.
Starting July 1st, the Virginia Lottery no longer will publish names or photograph winners with large novelty checks without their explicit written consent. This policy also encompasses Lottery Rewards and second-chance drawing winners whose identities will now remain hidden; those eligible will instead receive individual email notice of winning entries.
Before 2018, anonymity protections only applied to winners of prizes worth $10 million or greater; that threshold has since been decreased to $1 million, benefitting recipients such as one person who collected California’s record-setting jackpot prize: the $348 Million Mega Millions prize claimed anonymously on August 20, 25 without ever disclosing who they were or their identity. Under new law, anonymity will now apply regardless of prize size won.
Balancing Transparency and Privacy
Current studies estimate that more than half of U.S. lottery jurisdictions offer some form of winner anonymity; however, only some permit all winners to remain completely hidden; many still require disclosure of names, hometowns and prize amounts as public record.
Transparency is important to maintaining public trust. Since state lotteries are government-operated or authorized, lawmakers argue that openness will ensure jackpots are won legitimately and not artificially created.
Publicizing large jackpot wins has the added effect of increasing ticket sales for subsequent draws, thus contributing significantly to lottery revenues.
However, in recent years we have witnessed an increasing trend toward awarding anonymity to winners out of safety concerns and privacy protection concerns. Public identification exposes winners to risks such as scams, extortion and unwanted solicitations as well as physical violence from fraudsters or even violent crime perpetrators.
The Risks of Public Exposure
Unfortunately, publicized lottery wins have had devastating repercussions. Abraham Shakespeare of Florida won $31 Million but three years after winning was murdered by someone trying to access it for themselves. Additionally in 2016, Georgia winner Craigory Burch Jr was killed during a targeted home invasion shortly after winning over $400,000.
Advice from lottery experts who work closely with winners emphasizes discretion: “Be discreet about it. Do not announce it too widely or tell too many people you won. Once word gets out there, everyone and their brother comes knocking–from family that haven’t spoken in years to charities (most are good); some might try their luck (though be wary!).”
Tragically, even those claiming to protect lottery winners have often proved untrustworthy. One prominent lottery attorney who advised high-profile winners was later charged and sentenced for defrauding his clients of millions through fraudulent schemes.
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