Powerball: Can the winner of $1.2bn jackpot remain anonymous?

The $1.2bn Powerballjackpot has once again broken records seventh largest lottery jackpot in the US.

No winning ticket matched all six numbers drawn on Monday 2 October - white balls 12, 26, 27, 43, 47 and red Powerball 5. The Powerball jackpot now stands at an estimated $1.2bn for the next drawing on Wednesday 4 October, with a cash value of $551.7m.

If a player wins the jackpot on Wednesday night, they will have the choice between a lump sum payment estimated at $551.7m or one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments that increase by five per cent each year, each before taxes.

This jackpot also marks the first time in Powerball game history that back-to-back jackpot cycles have generated billion dollar grand prizes. The Powerball jackpot was previously won on 19 July in California, when a single ticket won a jackpot worth $1.08bn.

However, the record-breaking $2bn Powerball jackpot went to winner Edwin Castro, also a resident of California, in November 2022.

While Castro came forward as the newfound billionaire, each state has different guidelines when it comes to revealing the winner’s identity.

Depending on the expiration date typically listed on the back of each Powerball ticket, the winner of the $1.2bn jackpot has 90 days to one year to claim their prize. While every jurisdiction has their own laws on winners remaining anonymous, the California Lottery is required to reveal the identity of the lottery winner. In fact, maintaining anonymity is only permitted in certain states, including Delaware, Kansas, Maryland, Mississippi, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, New Jersey, Texas, and Wyoming.

Still, these states may have their own limitations or restrictions, such as prize thresholds or a limited time period where a person can remain anonymous. For example, the names of those who win $600 or more in the Arizona lottery are confidential for 90 days after the prize has been awarded, and they can choose to remain anonymous if they win $100,000 or more. In Illinois, winners of $250,000 or more can request to have their name and hometown confidential, while the Virginia lottery allows winners to remain private if they win more than $10m.

In California – where the last billion dollar Powerball jackpot was claimed in July – public disclosure laws require lottery officials to reveal the lottery winner’s full name; the name and location of the retailer that sold the winning ticket; the date they won the lottery; and the amount of their winnings, including whether they chose a lump sum payment or gross installments.

In 2018, the issue to remain anonymous arose for one lottery winner after she claimed a $600m Powerball prize in New Hampshire. The woman – who was identified as Jane Doe – said she made the “huge mistake” of signing the winning ticket, rather than protecting her identity by writing the name of a trust. New Hampshire is one of a handful of states that allow trusts to anonymously claim lottery prizes.

She then filed a complaint in Hillsborough Superior Court in Nashua, saying that she wanted a court order allowing her to stay anonymous. However, lottery officials claimed that they’d be compelled to disclose her identity if someone filed a Right to Know request. Her lawyers argued that her privacy interest outweighed the insignificant public interest in disclosing her name.

“While we respect this player’s desire to remain anonymous, state statutes and lottery rules clearly dictate protocols,” Charlie McIntyre – the executive director of New Hampshire Lottery – said in a statement, adding that lottery officials must process the winning ticket “like any other”.

The next Powerball drawing takes place on Wednesday 4 October at 10.59 pm ET.