New Oregon law to make winners’ names, addresses anonymous

• The Oregon Lottery joins the list of similar organizations to now allow anonymity for its winners
• This was made possible through a piece of legislation, House Bill 3115
• The lack of anonymity previously was used to fight "discounters," or the claiming of winnings in other people’s names

The state of Oregon has passed a new law with House Bill 3115, which will make important changes to the way lottery winners are announced in the state.

Previously, all lottery wins were a matter of public record, a vestige of bygone times when the lottery could be rigged, but also citing modern fears that people would use "discounters" to claim tickets in their name, and thus avoid the proceeds being confiscated for various reasons.

A new piece of law makes it possible to remain anonymous after a lottery win in Oregon

However, cheating the lottery is no longer an option, and the lottery and lawmakers are now prioritizing the comfort of winners. Thanks to House Bill 3115, this is no longer required, and notably, the name and address of a winner would no longer be divulged to the public – unless the winner insists on sharing this kind of information in the first place.

The Oregon State Lottery Commission has already approved the rules, and it makes it so that winners are now anonymous by default. Back to the "discounters" issue, another popular practice is for some people to sell their lottery tickets to third parties to avoid driving to Oregon to pick up their prize.

However, in all of these safeguards, the safety and identity of people have been compromised. The Oregon State lottery, though, is now joining a list of similar organizations to have allowed their winners to remain anonymous.

Notably, the Illinois Lottery Corporation allows for such measures, and the majority of winners, especially the big-time ones, have opted for clever monikers and posing with outsized checks, preferring not to publicly disclose their names and photos.

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