Everybody dreams of winning money, but nobody realizes the nightmares that may come out of it. Many people would say that winning the lottery can be both a blessing and a curse. Lottery winners are initially overwhelmed by an out-of-body feeling. They feel like everything is possible and they are usually eager to share this exuberant happiness with their families and friends.
Winning the lottery may be the answer to all of your prayers, but many winners befall the so-called curse of the lottery. While some may become victim to a destroying series of reckless spending, others may meet some tragic ends. Unfortunately, some lottery winners have become victims of their own luck. As lotto fever grows, a growing number of winners prefer to maintain their anonymity if that is possible. For thе people who win and live in states where anonymity is not possible, the lottery brings not only a staggering prize, but also extreme popularity.
That is the case with a woman from New Hampshire who won a $560-million U.S. jackpot in the Powerball lottery. The woman hit the jackpot in January this year, but she preferred to remain anonymous. She bought the ticket at Reeds Ferry Market in New Hampshire The new owner of a nine-digit bank account asked the judge to sign the back of the ticket with the name of an anonymous trust.
The woman’s attorney explained that they are not trying to change the law, but to guarantee the privacy rights of the winner. According to the latest headlines, the woman, known as Jane Doe, prefers her identity not to be disclosed as she is afraid of becoming a target for scams, harassment, threats, violence and even murder.
Delving Deeper into the Laws
It is important to note that under New Hampshire rules, the lottery winners need to reveal their true identity in order to claim their prize. The legal dispute has reached the state’s Supreme Court. In an interview with the media outlet CBC, the woman’s lawyer Bill Shaheen commented that revealing the identity of the lottery winners may be lead to safety issues.
The rules regarding the anonymity of lottery winners vary by state, with some states requiring all lottery winners to disclose their identity. Currently, there are only six states, that allow lottery winners to keep their identity in secret, including Delaware, Kansas, Maryland, North Dakota, Ohio and South Carolina. It would be interesting to make a small comparison between the U.S. and Canada, as the two neighboring countries share a lot of cultural and social values.
In Canada, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) also strive for transparency. In that sense, the Corporation typically publishes the names of the winners of $1,000 or more. If the winning is over $10,000, there is also a picture of the winner. Some time ago, a couple who won $50 million unsuccessfully tried to remain anonymous.
