Keep your Lottery Winning Confidential

One of the most frequent pieces of advice new lottery winners get from others is to try as hard as possible to remain anonymous.

If your name and photograph is published, there’s a strong chance you could find yourself quickly harassed with calls and requests for money.

Unfortunately, there are only seven states in which you have the legal right to remain anonymous: Delaware, Kansas, Maryland, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas.

Still, there are ways you can protect your anonymity if you live in Massachusetts.

Confirming Your Win

It may be possible to confirm you have a winning instant or draw game ticket by using the Massachusetts Lottery app on your phone. Once you have installed the app and have created an account, you may scan the code on the ticket. Read more at MassLottery.com.

Remember to protect your ticket from damage, fire and theft.

Protect your Identity

The lucky lottery winner should take several steps to protect their anonymity.

1. Sign the ticket correctly

If you wish to remain anonymous, call or text us right away (781-996-5656) to speak with a lottery attorney on how to create a trust and then sign the ticket in the name of the trust. The longer you leave the ticket unsigned, the more you risk someone taking it and claiming it for themselves. If you must sign it before the trust is created, sign it small so you can leave space to add trustees and the name of the trust you’ll establish.

2. Hire an attorney

Massachusetts lottery attorneys at Baker Law Group specialize in trusts and are well-versed in Massachusetts lottery winnings laws. They provide professional legal advice to help you through the process.

Your lottery attorney can assist you with the following:

• Establish one or multiple trusts to handle the winnings
• Ensure the winning ticket is signed correctly to establish ownership
• Represent you and the trust at the Massachusetts State Lottery office to accept the winnings on your behalf, keeping your identity private
• Upon request, recommend a financial planner who can help you determine how to handle taxes, gifts, and charitable donations

3. Don’t tell anyone

Keeping the lottery win a secret is probably the hardest step of all for most lottery winners. Obviously, winning the lottery can be an exciting, life-changing moment. But as soon as you tell even one other person, the chances of the word getting out greatly increases.