Exemption could shield lottery winners

Floridians turned to scratch-offs during the pandemic.

Big winners of Florida lottery games could have three months to start spending the money before they are publicly identified, under a measure set for a vote Wednesday in the House.

The bill (HB 1395) sponsored by Jacksonville Democratic Rep. Tracie Davis would create a public-records exemption for the names of people who win lottery prizes of $250,000 or more. The exemption would last for 90 days, with the clock running from the time prizes are claimed.

“At some point, we would love to win a big lottery prize, right,” Davis said Tuesday on the House floor. “But, unfortunately, for some people that dream becomes a nightmare. These winners endure all types of scams, harassment and even some of them loss of life.”

Currently, the names, cities of residence, games won, amounts won and details about where tickets were purchased are regularly released by the state lottery agency as part of its marketing strategy.

Under the proposal, prize winners could consent to release their names.

The $250,000 threshold was set because it matches an amount that requires winners to travel to lottery headquarters in Tallahassee to claim.

The odds on Davis’ bill coming up a winner, however, remain low. With less than two weeks left in the Legislative Session, the Senate version of the bill (SB 1836) has cleared just one of three assigned committees.

___

Republished with permission from the News Service of Florida