Missouri has added its name to a list of states in the US that will allow winners of lottery prizes to remain anonymous at their request.
According to the Associated Press, the new legislation sent to Governor Mike Parson, which received final approval Wednesday in the Senate, reverses the state’s current policy of publicising the identity of winners.
The bill, which previously passed the House, would make it a misdemeanour for the lottery or its contractors to publicise the identity of lottery winners unless they ask for their names to be made known.
Winners can still provide written authorisation for their names, addresses and other information to be publicised, but the publicity form can only be provided upon the request of the lottery winner and not offered unsolicited by the lottery.
Sponsoring Representative Jay Mosley said his intent is to protect lottery winners from being harassed or threatened by others who hear or read about their success.
Mosely, a Democrat from Florissant, said in a statement: “The last thing we want is for the excitement of winning the lottery to be replaced with a sense of fear because the newfound money draws unwanted attention.”
The Missouri Lottery said it currently publicises winners’ names, the amount they won, the game they played and the retail location that sold the winning ticket.
The lottery said publicity about winners is vital to boosting sales, especially when funding for advertising is cut by the Legislature, as keeping winners secret could adversely affect its 4,800 lottery retailers who are aided by showing that people won prizes at their locations.
Jay Boresi, Missouri Lottery’s Director of Legal Services, said in a statement that the bill, “impedes the Lottery’s ability to transparently provide information to Missourians about the hundreds of people who win large prizes monthly”.
In recent months, both Montana and Minnesota have passed similar legislation to allow lottery winners in their respective states to remain anonymous.
