St. Paul, MN - Today, the Minnesota House of Representatives unanimously passed legislation authored by Rep. Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn (DFL - Eden Prairie) that would make the names of lottery winners’ private data.
“When a Minnesotan is lucky enough to win big, it’s important that doing so doesn’t sacrifice their privacy or put their safety in jeopardy,” said Rep. Kotyza-Witthuhn. “With the increasing availability of personal information online, this bill strives to protect Minnesotans from the harm that can sometimes accompany these financial windfalls.”
Currently, the phone number and street address of lottery winners are private in Minnesota, with the name, city of residence, amount of the win, and the address of the place where the ticket was bought being published. The bill applies to any lottery wins that include a cash payment greater than $10,000. The Minnesota Lottery supports environmental conservation in Minnesota, as well as the General Fund.
You can watch today’s floor debate on the House Public Information YouTube channel.