The circumstances to remain anonymous winners of big lottery prizes vary widely. Everything revolves depending on the Country or State that organizes the lottery, or even the State’s own rules regarding data protection, or Public Registry.
In Europe all lotteries allow anonymity if the winner wishes it. Countries like Portugal, France and Spain among others, publish the location of the lucky one. However, if you wish to win, you can make your data public and photograph yourself by collecting the prize.
Also in Australia, New Zealand, China or South America, the winners decide whether they wish to remain anonymous or decide to publish it.
In U.S.A. It depends on the laws of the state, allow anonymity or force publish data and identity for the Public Registry. Only 5 states currently allow the winners anonymity, South Carolina, North Dakota, Delaware, Kansas, Maryland and Ohio.
In some cases and for advertising reasons it is “recommended” to the winners to photograph themselves receiving the prize. And made the Law, made the trap. It is becoming more and more frequent to appear to the regulatory photography disguised in any way or character.
In Canada, it is mandatory that the winner be photographed even as a form of transparency for the game.
What can lead a lottery cattle to anonymity?
There are many factors that can move people who win a big prize in lotteries to prefer to maintain their anonymity, or even the opposite, to be self-proclaimed.
Of those people who prefer to remain anonymous, we could see their reasons for: Fear of repercussion, Previously seek professional advice, including tax benefits.
- Fear of the repercussion that those gains can mean: cheating, harassment, scams, etc …
Because it is not publicized, disguised, or charged by third parties, it is difficult to hide some changes in their habitual behaviors, with your bank, with your family and friends and with your own life and purchases.
- Look for financial advice beforehand. Like conveniently advice on distribution and safeguarding of assets generated.
- Tax advantages and perhaps an additional gain, depending on the country or state where the winner resides and the country or state organizing the lottery.
There are countries that regulate a withholding of direct tax at the time of receiving the prize, on a certain initial amount, or on the totality.
About the remaining amount, sometimes and depending on the millions that may mean, you can think of a stratagem, so that in a few months and good banking management, can mean an extra million profit.
Let’s take the case of a prize that can be claimed between the months of November and the month of February of the following year. If the collection is made before the end of the year (say 2018), the fiscal repercussion that it has with respect to the patrimonial increase, it must be declared the following year (2019), while if the collection is claimed before the deadline (let’s say, for example, in February 2019), the fiscal repercussion would affect the following year, (to the declaration that was to be made in the year 2020), which would mean having a pre-tax money for practically all of a year.