When two longtime friends in London, Ont., celebrated an $80-million Lotto Max win this spring, news photos showed their faces and an oversized cheque but not their full names; they were identified as Greg S. And Krys P. That reflects new rules: Ontario and British Columbia now publish only winners' first names and a last initial; Ontario's change took effect in March and B.C.'s began Jan. 1.

Provincial lottery corporations in Ontario and British Columbia have changed how they identify people who claim large prizes. The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation now gives winners only a first name and last initial in media releases. The British Columbia Lottery Corporation has used the same format since January 1.

Why the change

Officials say the internet changed Balancing transparency and privacy. "Ten years ago, 12 years ago, we would put out their story and it would be printed in a newspaper, and then the newspaper would be tossed away," Tony Bitonti, an OLG spokesperson, said. "Now, there's very few printed editions, everything is online, so their winner stories are now being used online, which is great, but those stories live on forever."

OLG still posts winners' full names on its website for a limited period. The full names of winners of prizes over $1,000 appear on the OLG site for 30 days after collection, the corporation said. But after that window, public releases will use only a first name and last initial.

BCLC framed its move the same way. A BCLC spokesperson said the corporation's aim was to "provide winners with more privacy while still sharing details of the winner to inform the public that the prize has been paid to the rightful person."

How winners feel

Some past winners say the trade-off is real. Randy Rush, who collected a $50-million Lotto Max jackpot in Lamont, Alta., in 2015, said he accepted publicity when he claimed the prize. He added that, given the choice, he would like an option to stay out of the spotlight. "It's a hell of a lot of money," Rush said in an interview. "Some people would take advantage of that.

I've been very conscientious of that right from the beginning."

Other recent winners have already appeared under the new rules. Coverage of two longtime friends in London, Ont., who shared an $80-million Lotto Max jackpot this spring showed their photos and oversized cheque. Their last names didn't appear in news stories. The pair were identified as Greg S. And Krys P.

Mastheads

Publicity, proof and public interest

Lottery operators face two demands that pull in opposite directions. Governments and Crown corporations have to show that prize money is paid and that the draw system is fair. That requirement drives publication of winner information. At the same time, winners face new and persistent risks when their names stay online.

OLG framed the approach as a compromise. The limited 30-day full-name posting creates a public record that a ticket was claimed. After that, the privacy-protecting naming convention reduces the likelihood that an online story will become a permanent dossier on the winner.

That compromise also changes how local communities and retailers are recognised. Retailers that sold winning tickets often get public attention and sometimes a sales incentive. In the United States, retailers get a one-time bonus when they sell a jackpot ticket, and the location of the winning sale is typically public. The new provincial rules in Canada still let the public know a prize was paid. But they can make it harder to link a specific winner to a specific retail location in ongoing reporting.

How other jurisdictions handle anonymity

Canadian provinces aren't the only places rethinking how much to publish. In the United States, several states give winners more control over whether their identities become public. Missouri and Texas offer anonymity options for big prizes. Missouri's law, which took effect in 2021, allows winners to remain anonymous and makes it a Class A misdemeanor to reveal identifying details. Texas law, passed in 2017, lets prize winners of $1 million or more opt for anonymity.

The difference in rules can change what the public learns. For example, when two tickets matched the numbers in a September 2025 Powerball drawing, the winners were identified by where one ticket was sold but not by the winners' names. One of those tickets had been sold in Fredericksburg, Texas. The Missouri Lottery said it would publish the selling location of its jackpot ticket within 72 hours, per the state's procedure. The juggling of privacy, disclosure and state law left media and the public with only partial information about the jackpot holders.

Privacy rules affect more than headlines. Tax rules, community response and safety risks all play a role. In the U.S. Example, Texas's lack of a state income tax affects how much a winner takes home compared with a winner in Missouri. One calculation published by a U.S. Outlet compared the two winners and concluded the Texan would net more because Texas doesn't impose a state income tax.

Closer to home, fewer publicly available identifiers may affect financial advice and planning for winners. Wealth managers and tax advisers will still need to verify identity before they work with clients. But journalists, researchers and local groups will find it harder to track how jackpots are spent in a community when winners are harder to identify.

There are safety and legal implications too. Winners who remain easily findable can be targeted by scammers, loan seekers, or violent crime. Past winners have reported unwanted contact and pressure from acquaintances. That experience has pushed some winners to ask operators for greater anonymity. Lottery bodies say they want to reduce those harms while keeping a record that proves a prize was claimed by the right person.

Journalists will need to adapt. Newsrooms can still report that a prize was paid, where a ticket was bought and the prize amount. But they will have less access to full names for ongoing profiles and follow-ups. That will shift coverage toward community-level effects and away from detailed portraits of winners.

At the same time, the limited online window for full-name posting could create short, intense attention cycles.

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OLG said it will publish winners' full names on its website for 30 days after collection; after that, media releases use only a first name and last initial.

This article was created with AI assistance.