N.J. bill would let lottery winners maintain privacy up to a year
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 25, 2012, 11:21 PM
BY MICHAEL LINHORST
STATE HO– USE BUREAU
THE RECORD
New Jersey Lottery winners expect instant riches. But along with their money comes the attention, sometimes unwanted, of newfound friends and companies that say they want to help manage all that cash.
Each year, for-profit companies make an average of 70 records requests to the New Jersey Lottery, seeking the names and contact information for lottery winners, according to a review of the document requests by The Record. The lottery is obliged to hand over the information, which is a public record.
The companies say some people find the lump-sum payments or financial advice they offer helpful.
But now, against the backdrop of a record-breaking $425 million Powerball jackpot this week, one assemblyman has raised the question: Should these winners be shielded from the public?
Connecticut allows anonymity. A winner can take the prize in the name of an LLC. NJ should allow privacy of the winners forever, not just a year.