$202 million is more money that most of us can even fathom. But one lucky lottery winner from New Jersey may be able to relish all that money in secret — thanks to a new law that went into effect just last month.
Last Tuesday's drawing of the Mega Millions jackpot was won by a single ticket sold at a Quick Stop Food Store in Edison, according to the New Jersey Lottery.
The ticket matched all six numbers of 4, 6, 32, 52, and 64, with Mega Ball number 6.
The $202 million jackpot has a cash value of $142.2 million.
We may never find out the identity of the new millionaire, however.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law in January that allows lottery winners to stay anonymous.
Former Gov. Chris Christie vetoed the legislation during his tenure in 2013, arguing that it would "undermine the transparency that provides taxpayers confidence in the integrity of the lottery and its games," according to nj.com.
But supporters of the law, which was passed unanimously this year, said lottery winners should be able to make their own choice on whether they want the publicity or not.
New Jersey joined a handful of other states including Arizona, Delaware, Georgia and Kansas that allow lottery winners to hide their identities if their winnings exceed a certain amount, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
A choice for the spotlight
The glare reserved for lottery winners can be intense.
"If that person wants that spotlight they can elect to have it, but if a person wants their privacy they should be entitled to it," Assemblyman John Burzichelli said.
Burzichelli said the law would prevent lottery winners from being "hounded and harassed as a result of their newfound wealth and fame."
"In some cases, lottery prizes have resulted in winners being robbed and even killed," Burzichelli said.
The law exempts names and addresses from the state's open records laws, but state agencies are still able to share the information internally to collect child support, public assistance overpayments, and debts, Lottery Post reported.
Remaining anonymous can be the line between life or death
The overnight wealth may bring luxury cars, vacations or a house to lottery winners, but it can also garner a lot of unwanted attention, harassment and even violence.
In 2016, a 20-year-old man who won a $434,272 lottery jackpot was killed during a home invasion robbery in Georgia, according to Lottery Post.
And in 2010, Abraham Shakespeare, who won $31 million, was found buried under concrete. His friend, Dorice "Dee Dee" Moore was convicted of his murder.
This fear even led a woman in 2018 to sue the New Hampshire Lottery to collect her $560 million jackpot in anonymity.
In her lawsuit, she said that disclosing her identity would "constitute a significant invasion of her privacy," and the judge ruled in her favor.
After Tuesday's drawing, the Mega Millions jackpot was reset to $40 million starting point.
LP from NJ and we'll never know if one of them won...and that's a good thing.
Glad Governor Murphy gave the folks what they wanted as far as anonymity goes...right on time for me in a few weeks going to AC where I play the slots and lotto...LOL!
Good that NJ has gone anonymous. Joins the state I live in, SC. If I win, you'll never know. lol
Christie is the biggest idiot. Taxpayers don't pay for the lottery. Lottery players do. Has nothing to do with taxpayers.
It's smart they did that there because it's way too easy to win in New Jersey.
Congratulations to the winner. I'm happy the law was passed to keep large winners safe.
Math time... $202 minus taxes. Fed, State, City taxes when collecting over 30 years.
Cash Value is $142.2 million but the Feds get 37%. $142.2 X .63 = $89,586,000.00
$89.6 million is a nice amount but it is not $202 million.
We shall see if granting anonymity will hurt sales and jackpots. When another billion-dollar jackpot is presented, anonymous States may see an increase is sales.
The world may never know who won a $202 million lottery jackpot, unless...
Being anonymous is good. Congrats!
It undermines the whole concept of playing the lottery if no one knows who wins what's the point
Right, oh wise one.
Remaining anonymous should be an option on all Mega Millions, & Powerball drawings.
Point is, IMHO, it is the customer's right to remain private if they so desire. For me just showing the store is good enough for me. Remember a couple of years ago one state got the video of someone buying the winning ticket and plastered it all over the media. That was not only wrong, but just plain dangerous.
The whole concept is to make money for the state, not turn people into click bait fodder. If you don't want to play because you don't trust that real people are actually winning, I respect that. But most seem to trust it and will keep playing.
As It Should Be
Congrats!
The incident you posted happened in 2012 in this neck of the woods BD. Heard that people found out who the winner was, where he lived and the post office was dropping off bags of mail on the guy's doorstep. You can guess what those letters were all about.
My home is in foreclosure- need $150K, Need to pay off my student loan, going under the knife to remove a tumor... It drove the guy from the city. Transparency, My ...