Oregon Lottery Winners Can Now Remain Anonymous Under New Law
The law is also retroactive for past winners who no longer want their names public
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Oregon lottery winners can now keep their identities private under House Bill 3115, which took effect on Saturday.
The law exempts winners’ names and addresses from disclosure under Oregon’s public records law. Previously, a winner’s name was public record. The Oregon Lottery now may not publicly disclose a winner’s name and address without written authorization from the winner.
The Oregon State Lottery Commission approved the rules on Sept. 17. Under these rules, the lottery may still release other public information about prize wins, including the city in which the winner resides, the retailer that sold the winning ticket, the game played, and the prize amount. Winners who choose to go public may authorize the lottery in writing to use their names and photos.
The anonymity protection applies retroactively — winners can remain anonymous regardless of when they purchased their winning ticket. Any winners currently appearing on the Oregon Lottery’s website or social media have signed release forms agreeing to be featured.
Can’t sell winning tickets
The legislation also addresses the prohibition of buying and selling winning lottery tickets. House Bill 3115 targets what the lottery described as a “cottage industry of so-called ‘discounters'” who purchase winning tickets for less than their face value, then cash them in for the full prize amount.
While some players sold tickets to discounters to avoid traveling to Oregon Lottery payment centers, others did so to circumvent having their prizes garnished for outstanding child support or public assistance overpayments, as required by Oregon law.
Under the new rules, lottery officials will evaluate prize claims to determine if tickets were bought, sold, or claimed in violation of the law. If a winning ticket is found to be in violation, the lottery will deny the prize claim and confiscate the ticket.
The lottery received 12 written comments during the public comment period — two in support and 10 opposed. In response to concerns about claim convenience, the lottery indicated that work is underway to provide a digital claims and payment option for players unable to travel to payment centers and who prefer not to claim by mail.
The legislation passed the Oregon House on March 17 and the Senate on April 29.
