If you win a Powerball or Mega Millions jackpot, the first call you should probably make is to a lawyer — and the very first question the lawyer will ask is where you bought the ticket. Not because state taxes vary (they do, more on that below), but because that's what determines whether your name and face will be on every news website by Friday.
Anonymity rules are set by the state where the ticket was sold, not by the state you live in. In 2026, about half of US states give jackpot winners some form of legal anonymity. The other half consider the winner's identity a matter of public record. Below is the current picture, plus the most common workaround for states that don't allow anonymity.
States with full anonymity in 2026
These states protect a winner's name and city of residence at every prize level, no threshold required. You sign for the prize, the lottery confirms the win publicly, and that's the end of the story:
- Arizona
- Delaware
- Kansas
- Maryland
- Mississippi (for prizes paid through the lottery)
- Montana
- New Jersey
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Texas
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
A few of these (notably Texas and Georgia) only allow anonymity above a certain dollar threshold — see the next section.
States that allow anonymity above a threshold
These states publish winners' names by default but make exceptions for large prizes. The cutoff varies:
- Georgia — $250,000 and above
- Illinois — $250,000 and above (winner must opt in)
- North Carolina — $250,000 and above
- Florida — $250,000 and above, with a 90-day delay before any release is possible even for smaller wins
- Virginia — $1,000,000 and above (a 2025 law expanded earlier protections)
- Texas — full anonymity for $1,000,000+; partial protection at lower tiers
States with no anonymity protection
Everywhere else, your name is public record by default. The lottery is required to release at least your name and city of residence; many states release more. California, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York, Michigan, Colorado, and Connecticut all fall in this category. Past winners have been doorstepped by reporters within hours.
The trust-or-LLC workaround
If your state doesn't allow anonymity, the standard workaround is to claim the prize through a blind trust or single-member LLC set up specifically to hold the ticket. The lottery announces the legal entity's name — "The Ocean Tide Trust" — instead of yours. This is not magic and not guaranteed:
- Some states (most prominently California and New Hampshire) require the trustee's name to be released as well, defeating the purpose.
- You usually have to sign the back of the ticket before claiming, and signing in the trust's name has tripped up winners who did it incorrectly. Do not sign the ticket until you have spoken to a lawyer.
- The trust/LLC has to exist before the claim, which means a frantic 1-week setup window before the claim deadline.
What to do in the first 48 hours after a big win
- Sign nothing. Don't sign the back of the ticket yet. Don't sign claim forms. Don't post on social media. Photograph the ticket front and back for your records.
- Lock the ticket. A bank safety deposit box is the standard advice. A home safe works if it's actually a safe.
- Hire a lottery lawyer. Not your real estate lawyer, not your cousin. There are attorneys who specialize in lottery claims; they're worth the retainer.
- Decide on a financial planner before you decide on a car. Lump sum vs annuity, trust structure, tax strategy — these decisions have to be made before you claim, not after.
- Then, and only then, walk into the lottery office. Most state lotteries give you 90 to 365 days to claim. There's no prize for being fast.
One more thing
Anonymity laws change. Virginia rewrote its rules in 2025; other states have bills pending right now. Check the official lottery website of the state where you bought the ticket before you finalize anything — and if you want a state-by-state quick reference, every state results page on Lottery Atlas has a short FAQ block at the bottom with the current 2026 rules for that state.
This article is general information, not legal advice. A jackpot-sized decision needs a jackpot-grade lawyer.