Table of Contents
How do lottery winners stay anonymous?
We talked to several professionals — including lawyers and one of the world’s top blackjack players — to get their best tips.
- Buy your ticket in a state that doesn’t require you to come forward.
- Don’t tell anyone.
- Delete social media accounts (and change your phone number and address, too).
- Wear a disguise.
What should I do immediately after winning the lottery?
What to Do After Claiming Your Prize
- Consult With the Professionals You Hired. These professionals exist to help you, not the other way around.
- Pay Off Most Debts.
- Start an Emergency Fund.
- Put Away Money for Retirement.
- Diversify Your Investments.
- Set Up College Funds.
- Give to Those Less Fortunate.
- Learn to Say No.
Can lottery winners claim their winnings anonymous?
Right now only seven states allow lottery winners to maintain their anonymity: Delaware, Kansas, Maryland, North Dakota, Texas, Ohio and South Carolina. And six states also allow people to form a trust to claim prize money anonymously.
Can a lottery winner put their winnings in a trust?
Most winners contact a lawyer before claiming the prize and the lawyer sets up the trust so that the winnings can be claimed in the name of the trust. The lawyer may also set up a bank account in the trust’s name so the lottery can deposit the funds directly without the winner’s anonymity being breached.
Should the names of lottery winners be made public?
The lotteries are striving for transparency in their operations. They want the public to know that ordinary people can, and do, win lottery prizes, even incredible jackpot prizes worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Publishing the names of prize winners increases the public’s trust in the fairness of lottery draws.
How much do lottery winners have to disclose about likenesses?
How much that the state is required to disclose varies. The lotteries in which the winner’s likeness is used may also require the winner to sign a waiver authorizing the state to use the images in any way they see fit to promote the lottery. But there are some exceptions.