Subcommittee advances bill lowering lottery-public-disclosure threshold from $10 million to $1 million after split vote and questions about oversight

Delegate Delia Wyatt introduced House Bill 1799 at the committee's request on behalf of a constituent who said she had been harassed after her $1,000,000 prize in 2020 was publicized by the Virginia Lottery.

The bill would change the disclosure threshold in current law so that winners of prizes exceeding $1,000,000 would be treated the same as winners now protected at $10,000,000: their identifying information would not be disclosed without consent. "A constituent wants to be anonymous," Delegate Wyatt said, describing repeated unwanted contact and scam attempts following publication of the winner’s name and photo.

Megan Rhine of the Coalition for Open Government opposed the bill, saying public disclosure serves two purposes: promoting the integrity of the game and permitting verification that employees or household members of lottery staff are not improperly receiving prizes. Rhine referenced Section 58.1-4019 as the statutory provision governing these limits and verification rules.

Christopher Jones (identified in the hearing transcript as executive director, Virginia Lottery) explained current Lottery practice: prizes over $600 are presented and verified in person, and the Lottery runs identity and debt-setoff checks to verify eligibility and to ensure winners are not employees or household members. Jones said the Lottery can verify winners internally for any prize above $600 and that the public-facing disclosure thresholds apply to what information the Lottery would release to a FOIA request or publish.

Committee members pressed the Lottery for numbers and enforcement detail. The Lottery said $10,000,000 winners are very rare while $1,000,000 winners occur more frequently — citing a recent New Year’s raffle that produced five $1,000,000 winners — and agreed to provide more precise counts to the committee.

After discussion about balancing privacy for harassment victims with the public interest and verification needs, the subcommittee voted to report the bill to the full committee with six yeas and two abstentions. Two members indicated they wanted additional work on oversight and confirmation procedures before a final decision.

Votes at a glance: HB 1799 — Motion to report carried 6 yeas, 2 abstentions.