Virginia Lottery set to lower disclosure amount for winners

Lawmakers this session voted to lower the Virginia Lottery disclosure amount to provide more privacy to big ticket winners.

Del. Scott Wyatt, R-Mechanicsville, introduced House Bill 1799, which protects the personal information of $1 million or more lottery winners.

Virginia Lottery winners are currently required to release personal information, including their name and photo, for any amount under $10 million. 

Forty-five states have lotteries, and 21 allow winners to stay anonymous, according to World Population Review, which tracks global population data and trends. Virginia requires the highest amount needed to stay anonymous. 

Those opposed to the bill believe the required disclosure adds needed transparency, while those in support cited examples of personal privacy breaches because of the current law. 

Megan Rhyne, executive director for the Virginia Coalition for Open Government, spoke against lowering the disclosure amount during the ABC-Gaming subcommittee meeting on Jan 14.

The current law was established to promote the lottery and its winners; essentially for residents to see real Virginians winning real prizes, according to Rhyne.

The current disclosure amount also supports state law that prevents Virginia Lottery board members, officers and employees from participating in the lottery, Rhyne said. This includes the purchase of tickets by any person residing in the same household of such a member.

Disclosure can help prevent “nefarious activities,” such as when a computer programer working with the Multi-State Lottery Association rigged several lotteries and collected over $2 million in winnings, Rhyne said. 

Eddie Tipton pleaded guilty to rigging the lottery winnings in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma and Wisconsin, according to the Associated Press. He had help from his brother Tommy Tipton, a former Texas judge. 

The bill’s sponsor told the House panel that a previous $1 million Virginia winner was the target of several scams, including on social media, after her identity was posted on the lottery’s website. 

Virginia Lottery Executive Director Khalid Jones, spoke in support of Wyatt’s bill.

Any prize under $600 can be paid out at any participating lottery retailer. Anything over that limit, and winners are required to report it to the Virginia Lottery to claim the prize, according to Jones. 

The Virginia Lottery is responsible for verifying the identity and address of any winner over $600.

“We run those names through our internal system to ensure that they're not the members of the lottery playing themselves,” Jones said.

Any lottery winner whose winnings are under $10 million would still be subject to identification under the Freedom of Information Act, which allows citizens to request the personal information of a lottery winner, according to the bill.

Other U.S. states have varying disclosure amounts and rules. A handful of states do not allow any anonymity. In Michigan, players winning over $10,000 from in-state games are allowed to stay anonymous if they choose.

In Florida, collecting any amount over $250,000 gives winners the option to have their personal information temporarily disclosed for 90 days after the winnings are collected. After 90 days their information is no longer private. 

Wyatt’s bill sailed through the House with unanimous votes. Four Democrats voted against it in the Senate. The bill currently sits with the governor, awaiting further action.