Feb 06, 2021 To see draw results for participating Mega Millions lotteries outside California, search Mega Millions results. In California, MEGA Millions prize amounts are pari-mutuel, will vary depending on ticket sales and number of winners and will differ from the fixed prizes shown on the Mega Millions website. May 27, 2020 In the event of multiple jackpot winners, the prize is divided equally between them. Secondary prizes are usually fixed amounts, and are paid out in cash. As for taxes, it depends on the lottery and its local laws. Generally speaking however, all lottery winnings you earn in a year can be taxed. Welcome to the California Lottery website. It’s your ticket to full access! See jackpots, winning numbers, next draws, new games, and more. Please note: These results are unofficial. Always check with the official source for lottery numbers in a particular state. Lottery USA is an independent lottery results service and is neither endorsed, affiliated nor approved by any state, multi-state lottery operator or organization whatsoever. After your claim form is processed at Lottery Headquarters in Sacramento, you’ll receive a check in the mail in about 6 to 8 weeks. If you have any questions, just call the Lottery’s Customer Service Department at 1-800-LOTTERY (1-800-568-8379), Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. To 5 p.m., and we’ll be happy to help you.
Why Would Lottery Winners Want to Stay Anonymous?
Lottery winners should watch their backs. In November 2015, Craigory Burch Jr. won $434,272 in a Georgia jackpot. Two months later, Burch was killed in his home by seven masked men. His family members said the public announcement of the lottery winnings had made him a target.
In 2006 Abraham Shakespeare won a $30 million lottery prize. Two years later, he was approached by Dorice “Dee Dee” Moore, who claimed she was writing a book about how people were taking advantage of him. She soon became his financial adviser and gradually stole his money. She finally killed him and buried him under a concrete slab in her backyard.
Right now only seven states allow lottery winners to maintain their anonymity: Delaware, Kansas, Maryland, North Dakota, Texas, Ohio and South Carolina. And six states also allow people to form a trust to claim prize money anonymously. California entirely forbids lottery winners to remain anonymous.
California Lottery Winners Past
$560 MillionPowerball Winner Sues to Stay Anonymous
This January a New Hampshire woman won $560 million in the Powerball lottery, which is the country’s 8th largest lottery jackpot. Under New Hampshire law, the winner’s name, town and winning amount are public record. Because the woman signed the ticket in her own name, state officials told her that they would be compelled to disclose her identity in the event someone files a Right-to-Know request for the winning drawing.
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The winner learned later from a lawyer that she could have avoided revealing her individual identity by claiming the lottery money via a trust. But because she already signed her name on the winning ticket, any alteration to the signature would nullify the ticket for $559.7 million. The winner has not actually turned in the winning ticket to lottery officials yet, which means the she is missing out on about $50,000 in interest (using a 5 percent rate) every day the ticket is not claimed.
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Why won’t this winner just move away from her town or state if she’s worried about public attention or safety? According to her lawyer, she wants to give back to her community and “be a silent witness to these good works…” The New Hampshire winner has now sued, using the name “Jane Doe,” to stay anonymous. But she may end up attracting more publicity because of her lawsuit.
If you win the lottery and really want to stay anonymous, research the rules for your state. You might be able to claim the money in the name of a trust. Then find trusted advisors like tax attorneys, trust and estate attorneys, and accountants.
If you won a huge jackpot, would you want to stay anonymous? What are the pros and cons of going public?