Virginia Eliminates Lottery Win Disclosure: Full Anonymity for All Prizes

Virginia has become one of the most privacy-friendly states for lottery winners, as it now allows winners of any prize size to remain anonymous starting July 1. The Virginia Lottery will no longer publicly disclose winners’ names on its website or in promotional materials unless they explicitly consent in writing.

This policy change extends to all lottery formats, including Lottery Rewards and second-chance winners, who will now receive private email notifications instead of public announcements. The move follows Virginia’s previous adjustments to its anonymity rules, which initially allowed winners of prizes over $10 million to stay private before lowering the threshold to $1 million in 2025.

The state’s progressive approach paid off just months later when a Virginia resident claimed the state’s largest-ever lottery prize—a $348 million Mega Millions jackpot in August 2025—while maintaining complete anonymity.

While about a dozen U.S. jurisdictions now offer full anonymity to all winners, many states still require public disclosure of winners’ identities, citing transparency as necessary to maintain trust in the lottery system. However, the risks of public exposure have become increasingly clear over the years.

“Don’t advertise it. Don’t tell too many people you won. If your name’s out there, everyone comes out. Not only family you haven’t spoken to in a long time, but charities. Mostly good. But some are bogus.”

This warning from Jason Kurland, a lawyer who once advised lottery winners, proved tragically prescient. Kurland was later arrested in 2020 for his role in a $107 million fraud scheme targeting lottery winners. The dangers of public exposure were also tragically demonstrated in 2006 when Abraham Shakespeare, a Florida laborer who won $31 million, was murdered three years later by someone seeking access to his fortune. Similarly, Craigory Burch Jr. was fatally shot in Georgia just weeks after winning $434,272 in 2016.

Virginia’s decision to eliminate all prize-size thresholds for anonymity reflects a broader trend in the lottery industry, where concerns about winners’ safety and privacy are increasingly taking precedence over traditional transparency arguments. The change will allow all Virginia lottery winners to claim their prizes without the risk of unwanted attention or potential threats.