Oregon Lottery Winners Could Soon Remain Anonymous With Legislation Likely To Pass

Posted on: April 26, 2025, 11:07h. 

Last updated on: April 26, 2025, 11:08h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.
  • Oregon Lottery winners must allow their identities to be public
  • Legislation could allow winners to remain anonymous
  • Most lottery states require winners to come forward to ensure public trust

The Oregon Lottery currently requires that all winners allow their identities to become part of the public record. The condition is designed to protect the integrity of the lottery and ensure public trust in its operation.

Oregon Lottery anonymous legislation
An Irish bar in downtown Portland advertises being a licensed Oregon Lottery retailer. A law to allow Oregon Lottery winners to remain anonymous is progressing in the Salem State Capitol. (Image: Shutterstock)

Legislation to allow lottery winners to remain anonymous continues to find favor in the Oregon Legislature. House Bill 3115 would allow lottery winners to keep their information private while additionally prohibiting the buying and selling of winning lottery tickets.

Investigations last year by The Oregonian and Oregon Live! found that millions of dollars in lottery winnings each year were sold on secondary markets. Winners have been found to unload their winning tickets at a discount in favor of cash to avoid being ordered to pay debts like past due child support they owe, which the Oregon Lottery would, by law, be required to take off the top of their prize money.

Other unsavory reasons for selling winning tickets at a discount include tax evasion, while others say they’ve sold tickets simply to keep their identities confidential.

Lottery Bill Progresses

HB3115, bipartisan legislation from four Democrats and a single Republican, quickly made its way through the House of Representatives last month. The lower legislative chamber passed the lottery bill 52-1, with seven absentees.

“he Act lets lottery winners choose whether to release their name and address,” HB3155 reads. “The name and address of a prize winner are exempt from disclosure under the Oregon Revised Statutes and may not be publicly disclosed by the Oregon State Lottery or the commission unless the prize winner provides written authorization for such disclosure.”

The Senate Labor and Business Committee signed off on HB3115 during its meeting last week. The lottery bill is scheduled for a reading on the full Senate chamber floor on Monday, April 28.

The anonymous component of HB3115 would allow winners to keep their information out of the public, though the Oregon Lottery would be able to withhold winnings should the winner have outstanding liabilities under state law.

No ticket sold by the Oregon Lottery has ever hit the Mega Millions jackpot. Oregon lottery players have won the top Powerball prize, including in 2005 when two families split a $340 million windfall. 

Anonymous Lottery States

Lottery gambling is legal in all but five states. Most of the lottery markets require winners to come forward to prove to the public that the operation is legitimate and that winners are random. However, 19 states allow lottery winners to remain anonymous.

States where lottery winners can keep their winnings private include Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, South Dakota, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming. Colorado requires winners to provide their first name and the first initial of their last name.

In Florida, winners of prizes of $250,000 or more can stay anonymous. In Michigan, lottery winners upwards of $10,000 can keep their identities confidential.

In other states where lottery winners must make their identities public, state law allows for them to claim their prize through a trust, though the name of the trust and its executor and/or administrator must become part of the public record.