By Mary Helen Moore
NC Newsroom
State lawmakers are considering letting more jackpot winners keep their identities secret.
The bill would give lottery winners the right to remain anonymous if they win $5 million or more in prize money. That privilege is currently reserved for those who win at least $50 million.
Sen. Ralph Hise, a Spruce Pine Republican, is sponsoring the proposed legislation.
“This bill actually started for me with a conversation with someone who was describing the last five years as having a ‘unfortunate experience’ of buying a scratcher that resulted in a $5 million prize,” Hise said last week during a meeting of the Committee on State and Local Government.
Hise said the lucky winners deserve privacy, not “friends and family coming out of the woodwork.”
The IRS and state tax authorities would still be notified of a lottery winner’s identity, the bill says.
Senate Bill 402 has bipartisan support. It’s being considered next by the Senate Rules Committee, the final step before the full Senate could vote on it.
A similar bill was filed earlier this session by Democrats in the House. House Bill 401 would allow any winners to remain anonymous. It hasn’t yet had a hearing.
