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Should NH pass a law that keeps the names of lottery winners private?

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A New Hampshire woman who won the recent $560 million Powerball game that is played in several states, including New Hampshire, has filed a lawsuit in an effort to remain anonymous.

According to her lawyer, when she realized she had the correct Powerball numbers, she followed the instructions to print then sign her name on the back of the winning ticket. After doing this and contacting lottery officials, she realized she had made a “huge mistake,” according to the lawyer, because the lottery commission would then be compelled to make her name public.

Current rules for identifying lottery winners

In New Hampshire, the names of lottery winners are considered public record, which means they’re subject to right-to-know laws. Any member of the public can write to the New Hampshire Lottery Commission and request a list of winners, including the amount of their annual payout.

The only workaround is to create a trust and sign the winning ticket in the name of that trust.

In 2014 the New Hampshire Legislature passed a bill that would require lottery winners to give written permission to make their names public. Then-governor Maggie Hassan vetoed the bill.

The public has a right to know

Lottery officials say the integrity of the games depends on the public identification of its winners as a protection against fraud and malfeasance. Hassan pointed to this need for transparency when she vetoed the 2014 bill.

It is also a powerful marketing tool for the lottery when a winner is photographed holding a giant check with a lot of zeros.

“Having awarded numerous Powerball jackpots over the years, we also understand that the procedures in place for prize claimants are critically important for the security and integrity of the lottery, our players and our games. While we respect this player’s desire to remain anonymous, state statutes and lottery rules clearly dictate protocols.”

- New Hampshire Lottery Executive Director Charlie McIntyre

Lottery winners should have a right to privacy

Steven Gordon, the lottery winner’s attorney, filed a court challenge to the lottery’s rules arguing the woman wishes to live “far from the glare and misfortune that has often fallen upon other lottery winners.”

“She is a longtime resident of New Hampshire and is an engaged community member,” Gordon wrote in the court filing. “She wishes to continue this work and the freedom to walk into a grocery store or attend public events without being known or targeted as the winner of a half-billion dollars.”

Other supporters of a change in policy argue that publicizing lottery winners’ names can make them more vulnerable to theft, fraud, or other crimes, and constitutes an invasion of personal privacy.

What do you think? Should NH pass a law that keeps the names of lottery winners private? Let us know in the comments section below.

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