Which states let lottery winners use trusts or LLCs to hide their names from the public?
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Executive summary
A minority of U.S. states let lottery winners avoid public naming outright; multiple outlets list roughly 9–11 “fully anonymous” states (commonly cited: Delaware, Kansas, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, North Dakota, South Carolina and Wyoming) while other states provide partial anonymity or permit claiming through a trust/LLC [1] [2] [3]. Reporting across news and specialty sites also says many states that do not formally allow anonymity still permit winners to use trusts or LLCs as legal claimants to shield individual names from publicity [3] [4] [5].
1. What “anonymous” actually means: legal owner versus public name
States that “allow anonymity” are describing statutory rules that let the official record omit the person’s name; in the stricter cases the law permits the winner to remain undisclosed to the public. Separately, many jurisdictions permit a trust or an LLC to be the claimant — in that setup the entity’s name (trustee or company) appears in public materials while the individual beneficiary can remain private. Sources make this distinction: a few states grant “true anonymity,” while many others rely on entity-based claiming to provide privacy [1] [3] [4].
2. Which states are repeatedly named as permitting full anonymity
Multiple mainstream outlets and aggregators converge on a core list of states that grant winners the right to remain fully anonymous under state law: Delaware, Kansas, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, North Dakota, South Carolina and Wyoming are named repeatedly as “true anonymity” states [1] [2] [3]. Different articles sometimes give counts of 9, 10 or 11 such states; the underlying laws and recent legislative changes cause those totals to shift year to year [1] [2].
3. The trust/LLC workaround: common, legally blunt, but variable
Reporting from WorldPopulationReview, LegalClarity and regional news outlets notes that when states do not permit full anonymity, winners commonly use blind trusts or LLCs to claim prizes so the entity—not the person—appears in the public record [3] [4] [5]. That tactic is legally available in many states and has become a standard privacy tool; however, how well it protects identity depends on state disclosure rules and how a trust/LLC is structured [3] [4].
4. Partial anonymity and thresholds complicate the picture
Numerous states offer partial or conditional privacy: some allow anonymity only for state-only games, only above certain prize thresholds, or only for a limited time after a claim. Examples in reporting include Michigan’s distinction between single-state games and multi-state games, and states that reveal city/county but not full name when partial anonymity is allowed [6] [7]. Coverage cautions that thresholds, timing limits and whether the lottery is a multi-state game change whether an entity claim will preserve privacy [7] [2].
5. Recent legislative churn and conflicting lists
News accounts and state-by-state guides differ because legislatures have been active on this issue. Some stories list 10 states; others list 11 or 16, and bills passed in recent years expanded anonymity in some states [1] [7] [8]. That legislative activity explains conflicting tallies and why reporters urge consulting the specific state lottery rules before assuming anonymity is available [3] [7].
6. Why this matters: scams, transparency and public interest
Proponents of anonymity argue it protects winners from harassment, scams and safety risks; critics say public disclosure proves the integrity of lotteries and deters fraud [4] [9]. Reporting cites both safety concerns and the countervailing public-interest argument that transparency shows the game is fair — a tension that shapes states’ differing approaches [9] [4].
7. How to verify for a specific state and the practical next steps
Available sources recommend checking the state lottery’s official rules and seeking legal advice: whether a trust or LLC will succeed in keeping a winner’s identity private is state-specific and depends on how the claim is filed and what local law requires for public records [3] [4]. News outlets and guides repeatedly advise consulting legal counsel experienced with lottery claims before announcing a win or filing paperwork [3] [4].
Limitations and caveats: reporting sources disagree on exact counts and which states qualify as “fully anonymous” because laws and statutes have recently changed; available sources do not provide a single consolidated, up-to-the-minute statutory table for every state, so readers should consult the relevant state lottery and legal counsel for the current rule in any given jurisdiction [1] [3] [7].