Lottery Winners

Our Lottery Winner records are sourced from state lottery commissions which are required to disclose prize winner information above certain thresholds. These records document lottery prize claims including winner names, prize amounts, and claim locations.

• Coverage 45 States with lottery programs
• Records 2+ Million lottery prize claims
• Sources State Lottery Commissions, Prize Winner Disclosures
• Legal Basis State lottery disclosure laws, public records requirements

What Are Lottery Winner Records?

Lottery winner records are public documents created when individuals claim prizes from state-operated lottery games. In the United States, lotteries are operated by individual state governments (and the District of Columbia) as a form of legal gambling, with proceeds typically directed to public education, infrastructure, environmental conservation, or other state-designated purposes. When a person wins a lottery prize above a certain threshold and claims their winnings, a public record is created that typically includes the winner's name, the prize amount, the game played, and the location where the winning ticket was purchased.

State lotteries have been a significant part of American life since New Hampshire established the first modern state lottery in 1964. Today, 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands operate lottery programs, with only Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah lacking state-run lotteries. Multi-state lottery games like Powerball and Mega Millions allow players in participating states to compete for jackpots that can reach hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars, generating enormous public interest and creating some of the most widely reported winner disclosures.

The public disclosure of lottery winners serves several important purposes. It promotes transparency and public trust in the integrity of the lottery system by demonstrating that real people actually win prizes. It helps prevent fraud by creating a public record that can be verified against lottery commission records. And it satisfies the public's legitimate interest in knowing how public gaming funds are distributed, since lotteries are government-operated enterprises that use public resources and infrastructure.

State Lottery Disclosure Laws

The disclosure requirements for lottery winners vary significantly from state to state, creating a patchwork of rules that reflects different policy priorities regarding transparency, privacy, and public interest. Understanding these variations is essential for interpreting the lottery records in our database.

The majority of states require public disclosure of the names of lottery winners, at least for prizes above a certain dollar threshold. The most common threshold is $600, which is also the level at which the Internal Revenue Service requires lottery winnings to be reported for tax purposes. In these states, when a winner claims a prize of $600 or more, their name, city of residence, prize amount, and game information become part of the public record and may be published by the lottery commission on its website, in press releases, or in response to public records requests.

However, a growing number of states have enacted or are considering laws that allow winners to claim prizes anonymously or to shield their identities from public disclosure. States that permit some form of anonymous claiming include Arizona, Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Wyoming, among others. The specific rules vary -- some states allow anonymity for all prize levels, while others only permit it for prizes above a certain amount (such as $1 million or more). Some states allow winners to claim through a trust, limited liability company (LLC), or other legal entity, which keeps the individual winner's name out of the public record while still satisfying disclosure requirements through the entity name.

States that maintain strong public disclosure requirements argue that transparency is essential to maintaining public trust in the lottery system. When the public can see that real people are winning real prizes, it reinforces confidence that the lottery is operating fairly and that the games are not rigged. Lottery commissions also use winner stories as marketing tools, featuring winners in promotional materials and press events to encourage ticket sales and demonstrate that winning is possible.

What Information Is Public in Lottery Records?

The specific information disclosed in lottery winner records varies by state, but most disclosures include several common data elements that provide a comprehensive record of the prize claim.

The winner's name is the most prominent piece of information in a lottery disclosure. In states that require full public disclosure, this is the legal name of the individual who claimed the prize. In states that allow anonymous claiming, this field may instead show the name of a trust, LLC, or simply "Anonymous" or "Claimed." The city and state of residence identifies where the winner lives, though the specific street address is generally not disclosed.

The prize amount shows the total prize won, though this may differ from the amount actually received by the winner after taxes and after choosing between lump-sum and annuity payment options. For major jackpots, the advertised amount is typically the annuity value (the total paid out over 20 to 30 years), while the lump-sum cash option is significantly less. Federal and state income taxes further reduce the net amount received.

The game name identifies which lottery game produced the win, whether it is a drawing-based game like Powerball, Mega Millions, or a state-specific game, or an instant (scratch-off) ticket game. The drawing date or ticket purchase date establishes when the winning event occurred. The retailer location identifies the store or vendor where the winning ticket was purchased, which is of interest both to the public and to the retailer, who typically receives a bonus for selling a winning ticket.

Some states also disclose the claim date (when the winner came forward to claim the prize), the payment option chosen (lump sum vs. annuity), and whether the winner chose to participate in publicity events. These additional details vary by state and by the size of the prize.

Why Lottery Winners Are Public in Most States

The tradition of publicly disclosing lottery winner identities is grounded in principles of government transparency and public accountability. State lotteries are government-operated enterprises, and as such, their operations are subject to the same open records principles that apply to other government activities. The public has a right to know how government programs function, including who benefits from them.

Public disclosure also serves as an anti-fraud mechanism. When winners are identified publicly, it becomes much harder for lottery insiders, employees, or connected individuals to fraudulently claim prizes or rig games without detection. Several high-profile lottery fraud cases have been uncovered in part because public disclosure allowed journalists and watchdog organizations to identify suspicious patterns in prize claims, such as the same individuals or their associates winning multiple large prizes.

Additionally, public disclosure of winner identities reassures the general public that the lottery is legitimate. Lotteries depend on public participation and trust to generate revenue for their designated purposes. If winners were never identified, skepticism about whether anyone actually wins could undermine public confidence and reduce ticket sales. Winner stories serve as powerful testimonials that encourage participation and demonstrate the life-changing potential of lottery games.

Privacy Considerations for Lottery Winners

While public disclosure serves important transparency goals, it also raises legitimate privacy and safety concerns for lottery winners. High-profile winners have reported being targeted by scammers, solicitors, distant relatives seeking handouts, thieves, and even stalkers after their identities became public. Some winners have experienced significant disruption to their personal and professional lives as a result of the publicity surrounding their wins.

These concerns have driven the trend toward allowing anonymous claiming in an increasing number of states. Proponents of anonymity argue that winners should have the right to protect their privacy and personal safety, particularly for very large prizes that attract intense public and media attention. They contend that transparency can be maintained through other means, such as disclosing aggregate winner statistics, requiring independent auditing of the lottery system, and publishing the names of retailers who sold winning tickets without identifying the winners themselves.

Financial advisors who work with lottery winners frequently recommend that winners in states without anonymity provisions consider claiming through a legal trust or LLC, where permitted, or delaying their claim to allow time to assemble a professional advisory team and make plans for managing sudden wealth. Some states provide a claiming window of 90 days to one year, giving winners time to prepare before their identities become public.

OpenDataUSA includes only information that has been publicly disclosed by state lottery commissions pursuant to applicable state laws. We do not publish home addresses of lottery winners, and our records reflect only the information that each state has chosen to make public in accordance with its own disclosure requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions