I'm going to lay low after I claim my Jackpot .......... you cannot claim via blind trust in Pennsylvania, so I will form the RLT after I get the money!

The lottery will not get a press conference from me ......... I will only comply with the minimum requirements ...............

I will be in the very nice hiding place until the frenzy dies down.

I'll have my lawyer claim the money for me.Iowa insists that your name and town be made public but doesn't require that you attend a press conference,although they will try to convince you that you'll be better off doing the press conference and get it over with.They want all the publicity that they get because its free advertisement for THEM.They really don't care if you get mugged or murdered after they get their free publicity.

    I feel bad for the Illinois winner , he/she doesn't have many option to be anonymous .

    Unless his / her lawyer turns in the ticket .  What is the best choice for this person(s)???

The Illinois winner had options... purchase their tickets NOT in IL (WI?  IN?); NOT buy tickets, or; not redeem this ticket if they decide the trouble that will come with the win is more costly than the win $$$.

The best choice, to me, will be to claim it and then get outa dodge.

I suspect some enterprising lawyer is crafting a lawsuit about this as we speak.  Why should someone in Mass be able to avoid the insanity of lottery madness while someone in another state cannot?  Knowing how disasterous the public attention can be, I'd prefer that lottery winners from all states have the option of remaining annonymous (the public isn't served by forcing a lottery winner to be subjected to the levels of scrutiny & attention the lottery thrusts upon them).  That way, if the lottery winner is an attention whore like 'ol bunky bartlett & happily tells the world they won, then they'll have no one to blame but themselves for the problems that come their way.

There is a way to get a jumpstart on the bothersome folks who will try and locate you...........Keep your current mailing address for a year or two. Move to a completely new rental location several miles away or out of state. Or have a trusted friend rent a place  in his/her name. Or rent a place FROM a trusted friend.... Already be set up in your new place before the big day you claim. Course if you have younger children that will give you an added issue with schools. Having the Atty as a spokeperson is an option, but the less info stated is more of a challenge for others.

When I win, I will claim the prize and have a big press conference.  All will see my face, hear my voice and know my name and where I live.  But you see, I would take at least a couple of weeks before I come forward to claim the prize.  During that time, I would meet with my attorney and accountant, set up necessary wealth management accounts, located a rental house (apartment would not be good since I would plan to purchase either a Mazerati or Bentley with my "blow some money" limit and who lives in an apartment that can afford such a car?), and rehearsed my standard response to anyone asking for a handout (why didn't you ask me what you are asking me the day before the drawing?  Then I guess your best bet is to go to the bank you do business with.  Good bye!). 

Call me a hard ass but I wouldn't have to deal with it for too long since I would be looking to relocate somewhere where the community is gated and hundreds of miles away from Illinois.  I will gladly pay my lump sum tax to Illinois and then head south to a state that is more favorable toward wealthy folks...and warmer.  Anyone want a snowblower for $10? (that is WHEN I win...not now!!!).

You obviously did not read the part about Illinois where people thought they were playing a legitimate lottery, only to find it was a scam.  I am sure the good folks of Tennessee will agree with that since they had an issue with the RNG being rigged in their pick 3 and pick 4 games.  Corruption reigns supreme in Illinois and I am all for at least seeing the face and reading the name of that winner even if they do claim it in a LLC or trust.  Given the way corruption works in Illinois, if Illinois allowed its winners to remain anonymous like MD and KS, I would not be surprised if Gov. Pat Quinns relatives started getting "lucky"!  So show your face and state your name...then take some of that jackpot and move to a different location.  Besides, who really wants to keep working at the same job and living in the same house that their too small for luxuries paycheck could barely afford them?  I don't see any harm in the winners being made public.  It seems the biggest problem with some winners is THEMSELVES.  Drugs, uncontrolled gambling, and the inability to say NO will ruin anybody, not just lottery jackpot winners.

Anonymity for me, there are a lot of crazy people out there I remember reading about the lady in Florida years back that won the Florida lottery and people were threatening to kidnap her children from school & daycare. I have two boys I would not want to put there lives in jeopardy.

   Give the winner an option if he/she wants to put there face in the camera ,

  that's fine .

   For those who doesn't want to face the cameras at all , then that's there

   choice .    Everyone situation is different . 

the states will claim its a state"s rights issue and no one can force one state to do what another state does or does not do.

 The whole drama, surrounding the colossal jackpot, brought a very interesting conversation between my colleagues and me. You see, our discussion over lunch went into the territory of anonymity. We reasoned that there is no way, the media would leave the winner/winners of this jackpot to enjoy their respite. Surprisingly, 2 out of the 3 winning states, allowed for such a condition to remain anonymous, being present at the conference but in disguise just like the three lucky amigos from Maryland.

  Like the headline reads, a large majority would love to collect their loot anonymously and go about their normal lives (how easy getting back to your normal life might be after such a win, is a different scenario). Anyway, some states do not allow anonymity and some, do not even allow you to collect via blind trust.

  Now the question goes, in light of the events, don't you all agree that a panel discussion has to be established to allow winners from ANY state to remain anonymous, should they wish? I believe that legal proceedings might gear towards such a goal. I do not understand why such an option is not allowed. Yes,  MUSL is somewhat a government agency but, the jackpot increases due to purchase from private purses i.e., the money that we spend on the lottery is already taxed and we get taxed before collecting any winnings. In my opinion, that is where a public interference stops. Once a winner is declared, his.her information should be kept private should they request such. Now, if that request is not honored then, taxes on lotto wins should be abolished. They cannot have it both ways, tax the lotto income, do not ask me to reveal my identity if I do not please to do so. On the other hand, if the tax is abolished, then well......

   Just my opinion.

A few years ago a female pharmacist in Illinois wonn a Mega Millions jackpot.

She said that if people knew who she was she would get sued for malpractice by people she never even provided drugs for. Having said that, she hired professional movie make-up people to create a disguise for her and that's the way she went to the press conference.

I think it was discussed here on LP.

  I agree w/Cletu$2 on this, going on camera to talk about how screwed up the world is will achieve ZERO.

unless you consider it an achievement when your audience says,

 " this guy just won a ton of money and he is talking about how bad things are "

Well, when you see the parade of winners are people like T. Ramirez, Willy Johnson, Leroy Wilson, Han Ko, Tom McIlroy, etc. it lets us Illinoisians know that the anonymous winners like folks like Rahman Emmanuel, Barack Obama, Pat Quinn, Rachel Quinn, Sasha Obama, Joe Biden, or any of the Daly or Blagoaviche family. Hardly a year can pass in Illinois without someone not being indicted for corruption. Just because something bad happened to one guy does not mean the ultimate winner against astronomical odds should be allowed to slink off in anonymity. Just deal with it since that 15 minutes of fame is part of the win the jackpot package.  Tell you what, if anyone wins here, I will gladly be your front man.  I will straight up try to get my Dave Chappelle impersonation on!

Not looking for any "front man". I personally don't have any problem going public for a meet and greet session for a state that requires

this ritual. Getting back to my original question, if the state of Illinois reigns supreme in corruption (which I'm not in disagreement with), why

would you assume that by requiring a parade of faces and names of "winners" are legit, and not a continuation of the lottery scam you allude to?

I am also gonna claim anonymously once I win the jackpot(PB/MM)

It's the only way to go!!!

Got to vote for the anonymity over going public........I have no desire for the spotlight.....But for those who do, please enjoy the good, the bad and the ugly from those who feel its their right to pry and learn anything about your life....... As we have seen from all the publicity on how sensational journalists twist things. What sells more ??   Negative or positive stories ??  ........ You may want to ask yourself if there's any skeletons in your closet ??  If there are and you don't want them revealed ???  Do you want to role the dice  that they wont come out ??  just a humble opinion to consider

The Illinois winner is going to be revealed on wednesday. Illinois does not allow one to remain anonymous, but I do think your lawyer can claim for you. I'm not sure. As much I dislike the state law, I still want to win!

It's good that this subject is getting some honest press.  This is a very serious issue, especially in states where you are required to claim publicly.  It wouldn't be so bad if there were just, legit and honest reasons to do so.  But, in each state where you have no choice in the matter, no such case is made.  Most say they require public disclosure in order to prove 'there are winners and that the lottery is legit' (see Virginia state lottery website).  However, those states which allow you to remain anoymous manage to operate their lotteries with no problems.  Some, like Ohio, report increased sales (Maryland also, where many people from PA, West Virginia and Virginia go to buy their tickets). 

Trouble is that those states have lotteries run by lottery contractors who call the shots and pretty much tell state oversight managers and legislators what they will do.  Contractors love public disclosure because they generate considerable publicly for 'their' lotteries.  This bogus belief may have worked in the old days, but today there is considerable competition for lottery dollars, and, when given a choice, many players vote with their feet and purchase tickets in states where they have a choice in how they claim.

This whole situation could change if players get up in arms and demand their states change the rules.  In each state, governors have the authority to allow winners privacy, but there has not been one case where that has been done.  Many winners have asked, but not one has been allowed a benefit given to pardoned criminals and others.  And, of course, states could enact laws or administrative instructions which would allow a choice.  Right now there is a great deal of controversy in lottery boards nationwide about doing this.  But, for some reason, it is always dropped without action.  Virginia, for example, went in the opposite direction and formally changed what had been adminstrative instruction to state law when a major jackpot winner tried to claim by trust.  Yet, Virginia players have generally been mum on the topic, many believe lottery rules to be written in stone. 

Let's hope that all states will allow winners a choice eventually.  The sooner the better.  Maybe then more people will play it, and increase money raised from it.  As noted in the article, many don't play because they have no choice.  I think many of those are from demographics the lotteries want to attract.  As they say, the only way to find out is to try it.