Another effort from legislators to help winners hide their identities

By Kate Northrop

The Michigan House of Representatives passed a bill that would grant anonymity to all lottery winners of multi-state game prizes.

In a renewed effort to help lottery winners keep their identities private, the House has passed a bill that would allow winners of multi-state game prizes to protect their names from public disclosure.

Currently, the state of Michigan allows for anonymous claims for certain games and prize amounts. Lottery players who win more than $10,000 in local, in-state games may claim their prizes without revealing their name, but winners of multi-state games like Mega Millions, Powerball, and Lucky for Life cannot remain anonymous.

"We shouldn't force Michigan lottery winners to be in a position where they receive unwanted, possibly dangerous attention," State Representative Pat Outman, the sponsor of House Bill 4004, said. "My plan gives them the choice to keep their identities anonymous. A privacy option gives people a sense of security and helps protect them from harassment or a flood of requests for funds, loans or donations."

Should House Bill 4004 pass, winners of such in-state prizes may continue to keep their names private, as well as all multi-state game winners of any prize amount, unless the winner provides written consent for the Michigan Lottery to disclose any identifying information.

"Winning the lottery should be cause for celebration, not distress," Outman added.

The Michigan House of Representatives has been trying to pass a similar law for years, having successfully approved similar bills in 2023 and 2021. Both times, the bills did not make it beyond the Senate.

House Bill 4004 passed by a vote of 102-3 last week. It was officially handed off to the Senate, where it will undergo the same review as it did in the House. Should it pass the Senate, it would land on Governor Gretchen Whitmer's desk for her to potentially sign it into law.

"When Michigan introduced the lottery in the 1970s, the world was a much different place — there was no internet, no social media, and far fewer concerns about privacy and personal safety," Outman told the Detroit Free Press. "Today, a lottery winner's name becoming public can lead to real dangers, including scams, harassment, and even violence. Tragically, there have been cases in other states where lottery winners were targeted and harmed simply because their identity was made public."

Lottery Post maintains a state-by-state list of lottery privacy laws throughout the United States and several other countries.