In the open
Texas lottery is no place for anonymous winners.
Imagine winning a million or more dollars in the Texas lottery. Life and family history would inextricably shift into two separate timelines: Before Winning and After Winning, with the latter likely marked by unwelcome attention from the media, from those looking for handouts and even from those who mean no good.
The unwanted attention or worse prompted state Rep. Ryan Guillen, D-Rio Grande City, to champion House Bill 59, which would let winners of $1 million or more remain anonymous.
Guillen’s effort is misguided. Should the bill become law, a state agency, in this case the Texas Lottery Commission, would be allowed to be less transparent about its operation by keeping financial information hidden. That is not in the public interest. Allowing winners to collect their awards in anonymity could lead to public suspicion about whether the lottery is being operated honestly. Moreover, there are ways around the publicity that do not involve keeping public records secret.
Guillen told the Texas Tribune that he filed the bill after being approached by a constituent worried that if she won the lottery and the announcement is made public she could be abducted, taken to Mexico and held for ransom. Guillen represents District 31, which encompasses 10 counties in South Texas.
Worries about safety and unwanted attention are a legitimate concern, and there are ample reports from around the country about those who seemed cursed by hitting the jackpot.
Fortunately, there is a solution. Texas is among states that will award lottery prizes to a trust and allow a trustee — usually an attorney — to collect the jackpot without disclosing the name of the ticket holder. That’s a strategy for winners wanting to keep their identity a secret and their privacy intact — and it does not require government intervention.
The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas and the Texas Press Association oppose the bill, believing secrecy invites suspicion about the integrity of the game. Negative public perceptions could easily impact sales, which in the fiscal year that ended in August contributed nearly $1.4 billion to the state’s general revenue fund.
“The bottom line is when the state is paying out a large sum, the public should be able to know the recipient,” said Kelley Shannon, FOI-Texas executive director.
Lottery players last year collected $3.27 billion in prizes, the highest amount of prizes paid out in Texas Lottery history, Texas Lottery Commission executive director Gary Grief points out on the commission’s website. For it to remain popular and successful, Texans need to believe the state is operating it openly and honestly. Knowing who won — either the name of the person or persons or the trust — should not be kept secret.