Should Michigan Lottery winners remain anonymous?

Nearly 90 percent of big-money Michigan Lottery winners in metro Detroit and across the state opt to remain anonymous, says spokeswoman Andi Brancato.

The anonymous option applies to the in-state games of Classic Lotto 47, Fantasy 5, Keno, Club Keno and the new Lucky Lines, she notes.

Names and hometowns of Mega Millions and Powerball winners are automatically released.

"Because Mega Millions and Powerball are both multistate games, it is important for us and for the other states to see what is going on with those," Brancato explains.

Michigan Lottery officials will shield the identities of winners of in-state games, she says, but they are grateful to the rare few who are willing to step into the limelight.

"We do hear people say, 'I never hear of people who are winners. Where are the winners?'" Brancato notes.

"We certainly prefer it if a player wants to give out their name. We want people to know that there indeed are, in fact, winners, that there are names behind winners, and there are hometowns behind winners."

The Michigan Lottery last year took in $2.45 billion in revenues and paid $1.41 billion in prizes.

Publicity in recent months has focused on the murder of Florida lottery winner Abraham Shakespeare, who authorities say was a victim of a woman who gained access to a chunk of his $31-million prize.

However, most Michigan Lottery winners through the years say their main reason for remaining anonymous is to guard against money requests from relatives and friends, or in some cases from fundraising groups.

"I have customers, even if they only win $500, they will say, 'Don't tell my wife,'" says Mike Sawa, owner of Oak Park Liquor and Wine in suburban Detroit, with a chuckle.

"Each person has his own preference. Most winners want to keep a secret because they feel like if everybody else knows, then everyone else will want to be their cousin."

At Inkster's Cherry Belt Party Store, owner Heidi Habba says the biggest prize ever won by a customer was $300,000 in the Cash Five game. The winning couple urged her to keep a secret.

"I don't blame them," Habba says. "A lot of people say that if they ever were to win and if people found out, they would have to move out of the state."

Micky Yaldo, owner of Parkway Foods in Detroit, says he gets mixed reactions from prize winners.

"The older people, the senior citizens, are scared for people to know that they won, because they are afraid that someone will rob them," Yaldo says. "At the same time, there are other customers who want everybody to know they won, because they are proud of it."

John Yelda, owner of Five Star Liquor in Dearborn, goes against the grain. He says the state legislature should pass a law requiring all prize winners to be identified. If somebody doesn't want his or her name to be released, says Yelda, then that person shouldn't play the lottery.

"The state should let all of us know who won the money, so that people can see that the lottery is honest," Yelda says. "Not just their names; the state should also show their pictures."

Mike "Tiger" Price is a longtime Detroit-area media personality who says he sees things both ways.

"We need to understand that today, identities are being stolen, and people are being targeted and robbed. In this day and age, privacy is an important factor in just staying alive," Price says.

"Still, I believe that as much as I participate in Publishers Clearing House contests and lotteries, that if I won, that I should come forward publicly to accept a prize."