How to Keep Your Identity Secret in Michigan if You Win the Lottery

Michigan law requires your identity to be public if you win the lottery like the Powerball or Mega Millions. However, there's a loophole to remain anonymous.

Can You Anonymously Claim the Lottery in Michigan?

Of course, everyone who plays the lottery hopes to win big. If they do, it should be a time for celebration. However, winning can come with its own set of stresses, too.

If you win a lot of cash, there always seems to be a long-lost friend or cousin or whomever that comes out of the woodwork looking for a piece of your winnings. Not to mention, you could become the target of theft or scams. Mainly because, technically speaking, Michigan is not a state that allows you to claim your winnings anonymously.

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Some states allow winners to stay anonymous; states such as Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming. However, Michigan is not one of those states. But, there is a loophole.

How to Remain Anonymous if You Win the Mega Millions or Powerball in Michigan

If you win a hefty lottery sum and would like to remain anonymous, you can form a registered lottery club. Here's how you can create one;

To form a lottery club, members must notify the Lottery about their plans to form, confirm the members of the group and establish a name. Once the group is approved, it can begin claiming prizes on behalf of the members. A club can have as few as two members and there are no requirements that prize money must be distributed equally amongst members.

So, no matter how many people make up your lottery club, only one person would need to come forward to claim the winnings publicly. So yes, someone's identity will still be made public, but it only has to be one person. The rest of the lottery club could remain anonymous. And all of that comes with approval from Michigan's Attorney General's office.

Read Related: Michigan Lottery & the Powerball's Most Drawn Numbers

There are some lawmakers who would like to allow winners to remain anonymous. House Bill 4048, sponsored by state Rep. Pat Outman, R-Six Lakes, would allow winners of multistate lotteries to keep their identities secret. However, nothing has come of this bill yet.

So, if you're headed out to purchase your lottery tickets for the Mega Millions or Powerball drawing, good luck!