In a recent public hearing, Wisconsin House lawmakers considered a bill prohibiting lottery retailers, the Wisconsin Lottery administrator and the Wisconsin Department of Revenue from disclosing the name, address or social security number of lottery winners who want to remain anonymous. The location of the ticket sale still would be public information.
The bill has not been voted on yet in an Assembly or Senate committee.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos introduced the measure in April after Manuel Franco of West Allis claimed a $768 million Powerball prize and told reporters he started feeling paranoid when he realized he had won. “The government shouldn’t force lottery winners to come forward publicly if they don’t want to,” Vos said. “Just because you win the lottery, it shouldn’t mean you lose your right to privacy.”
State Rep. Gary Tauchen, a co-sponsor of the bill, said, “For over 30 years, Wisconsin lottery players have bought tickets to win a jackpot, but they don’t ask to be a target.”
The bill allows some exemptions, such as withholding winnings for unpaid taxes, court judgments or child support.
Lottery Director Cindy Polzin said she was not aware of any harassment of lottery winners in Wisconsin but noted, “Players may be concerned about being targeted by neighbors, friends or family.”
She added transparency regarding winners can help prevent lottery fraud. “There have been instances where lottery insiders have committed fraud and were caught, at least in part, because the winners’ names were known,” she said. She noted research indicates public information about lottery winners encourages others to buy lottery tickets.
