$5m scratchcard winner bids to remain anonymous

$5M SCRATCHCARD WINNER BIDS TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS

A 24-year-old unemployed man from Norwood in New York City, USA, hasn’t even got a bank account but on April 24 won a $5m scratchcard prize. Now he’s battling to retain his anonymity.State laws say that players who win New York Lottery prizes of over a million dollars have to attend a press conference and be photographed. State Gaming Commission Spokesman Brad Malone commented that “We don’t have any provisions for anonymity.”Many lottery winners do remain anonymous, such as the grandfather who won $3m playing Australian Powerball.In Pennsylvania, USA, the winners of a $456.7m Powerball jackpot kept their anonymity by setting up a trust.This winner though doesn’t want that to happen for fear that he may attract scammers and said “Everybody who knows me knows I’m too nice. And I don’t want to be taken advantage of.” We do know that the New York Lottery scratchcard winner is a father of one, who has lived in New York all his life and is a former Little Caesars pizza worker. Recently a prep cook from New York won the top prize in the $2,500 A Week For Life scratchcard game.He has hired an attorney and now plans legal proceedings to keep his identity secret. This follows the recent case where a New Hampshire judge ruled the winner of a 559.7m Powerball jackpot can remain anonymous, so that gives hope to this New York winner.His winning New York Lottery scratchcard was purchased from a Mosholu Parkway liquor store while he was out shopping for an outfit for his upcoming birthday. He actually checked it to see if it was a winner while sitting on the toilet, having noticed it peeping out of the back pocket of his trousers.At first, he thought his win was only $5,000 but then realised his New York Lottery scratchcard had won him $5m. Then the celebrations began. “I put the ticket down, and I just started jumping all over the house. I’m like, ‘I won $5 million!’", he recalled.He now wants to use his New York scratchcard winnings to buy his mother and elder brother new homes and of course one for himself. Canadian Terry Sigurdson plans on building his own home after a $500,000 Lotto 6/49 win.Also planned is to set aside some money for his four-year-old daughter, invest a million dollars for the future and open a garage.So many things could be done with a lottery windfall... take the first step and purchase your tickets online at Lottery24.com.