In January 2020, New Jersey’s Governor, Phil Murphy, signed a law that allows lottery winners to stay anonymous.
Anonymity is not a given for lotto winners all over the world. Some countries you don’t have a choice whether to share your big news or not. Lotto players can now play with an easy heart, knowing that their identities will not be published without their consent, if their winnings exceed a certain amount.
With the new law implemented, no one will ever know who the lucky Edison winner was of the jackpot of $202 million (approx. R2,9 billion). The lucky draw took place on the 11th February 2020 and the Mega Millions winning numbers were 4, 6, 32, 52, 64 with the gold Mega Ball no 6.
Staying anonymous in South Africa after winning the lotto
According to lotteries played, whether you buy a ticket or place your bet online, there is a privacy policy closure in the game’s terms and conditions. This states that they are only allowed to use the winner’s name in public communications if the participant has given them written consent to do so.
Should you stay anonymous or go public with your big win?
Unless you want to be an overnight celebrity with unexpected knocks on your door and your phone ringing with numbers that you don’t even know, you might want to think twice before announcing your big win in public.
The media will publish to the whole world how you spend your winnings. They will follow you around every corner publishing what you do every single step of your day. Your face will be all over the news and the public and even your family and friends will ask for a share of your winnings.
On the other hand, you might decide to go public just to have your few seconds of fame. You just want to know what it feels like to be famous. Just to show everyone that luck was on your side this time.
Most of the people who announced their winnings recon that the news will go public anyway so why not just share it from the start. This way they can spend their prize money, without keeping it in the dark.
Staying anonymous doesn’t mean you can’t share your news with your nearest and dearest. You won’t be able to live a lie without a few expensive changes that no one will notice.
At the end it remains your decision. Take your time on making the right choice. Let’s not count the chickens before they are hatched. In the meantime, take a chance to see if you will have to make one of the most important decisions in your life.
