Can a mega winner say no to public presentation?

[alastantiger]

Which country the guy belongs to is not all a big thing. When it comes to money, people need to be more cautious. Life is more important than money, and there are possible chances of life threat. Identity of such big wins shouldn't be revealed to the outer world. If it is of a popular person, it won't be a problem. When it is a common man, surely people will try to take advantage. This is kind of promotion for the platform, and they should also understand and provide security to the winners in such incidents.

The winners country's of residence is not the issue. What do we say about people who participate and win reality tv shows or a big competition on national tv and then one of the events in the grand finale involves present the cheque to the winner. In this place, the winner doesn't need to cover their face despite winning millions and they do not care about their security. So why will a mega winner be bothered by all of these. What the mega winner should do is that after receiving the public presentation of the money, they should immediate start living a low key life and avoid the public for a long time. If they want to go on gambling, they could do it in their apartment. Lastly if they do not feel safe enough, they have enough money to employ a personal trained bodyguard.

[Strongkored]

I created this topic as a result of this news, a young Ghanaian man won 6,000,000 GHC ($501,664) with a bet of 40 GHC. This happened few days ago and it trended on social media. Some of the comments from netizens are that the young man should leave Ghana to avoid being robbed or poisoned.

I know some of us must have seen the formal presentation of a mega winner to the public by a gambling platform. Most times, these bookies invite media outlets to their offices to cover the ceremony, so that the news could be captured on newspapers, tv, internet etc. My questions are...  Can a bettor reject being unveiled to the public? Are gambling platforms paying an extra money for the publicity?

I once read a news story about how someone's life actually got worse even though he won a fantastic amount because the public knew about this and many people came to his house to borrow, even someone who offered financial services actually killed him. What a tragic story, because he should have been able to calmly enjoy the winnings. Source

It would be very harmful if a gambling site published its users who managed to win fantastic money, it shouldn't be done, maybe the amount can be published but not the name or personal data of the person who won it, such as photos or the city where he lives and so on.
The amount he won was huge and it could change his life so of course having his data exposed would put him in a dangerous position.
The winner should be able to choose whether they want to publish it or not, it is not the gambling house's decision.

[retreat]

It is the right of the gambler to be able to refuse all kinds of publicity about him and his winnings, because it is privacy and people must respect it. Unless the platform has a ToS which explains that the player must comply with all forms of publication carried out by the platform and the player has agreed to this, then he has no reason to refuse that the platform will publish his winnings and his identity to the public.

[piebeyb]

I have never won big, but if it concerns security and privacy matters, I think the winner can ask the gambling organizer not to publish it, because that is the right of the gamblers who won the big win, but if you look at it from one side, usually the gambling organizer makes an announcement. This is usually to attract attention so that people want to gamble there because this can also be part of marketing.

Gambling organizers usually do this to show the media and the public that the gambling organizers pay big winnings so there is no fraud that makes people reluctant to gamble there, but they could do this to show that they pay, but it comes back to security and privacy issues. Users should be able to pressure gambling organizers to cover their winnings.  

[Bitinity]

My questions are...  Can a bettor reject being unveiled to the public? Are gambling platforms paying an extra money for the publicity?

Every gambling platform must have their own terms and conditions for such a publicity and it can be different from one to another. From player's perspective, of course all players has the right to reject the publicity because of security or privacy reason but the next question is, will be there a consequence for the player who reject the publicity? Of course it will be depending on the terms and conditions of the platforms.

[bayu7adi]

Of course a big winner can say no to a public presentation. It’s their personal right to anonymity.

I would definitely want to avoid a public presentation if I won the lottery or a huge bet.

I would not want the pressure of people finding out that I had won so much.

But what if the casino making the announcement is on twitter or their other social media? This could indeed be good marketing, showing that the casino is fair and doesn't hinder any winners who have the chance to win large sums. It means the platform casino has one goal, attracting more new users, while they may not consider what winners will experience after such an announcement.

It's true that we can reject any offers for interviews or podcasts in any media, but... it seems challenging to turn down something initiated by a gambling platform that has awarded us winnings. This includes the publication of the jackpot amount won by a betting winner.

[michellee]

A bettor who wins a very large cash prize could ask his betting shop not to publish his name or photo. It was for his own safety from evil people who would definitely gather and plan something for him. And even though the winning bettor has to pay extra money for publicity that doesn't specify who the winner is, that bettor still has more money from his winnings.

He doesn't have to worry about having to pay extra money for his security and I would too. I don't want to take any chances with my safety or that of my family. Especially if the news spreads throughout the city or in the neighborhood where I live, but the betting shop should be able to hide the name and identity of the winner rather than share the details.

Betting shops may also offer security services for winners to take their money home or to their bank. Things like that can be discussed with the betting shop. The winner already has a lot of money, so money is fine for protecting his safety.

[len01]

your question reminded me there was another user on this forum who had made almost the same thread about big wins and about publications.
as I remember, when the bettor was offered to publish in the media about his big win, he was willing to publish it, but on the condition that he wanted to use a clown mask or something that covered his face to avoid his family or children watching TV or avoid crimes that would threaten his life after winning the big win.
that all I remember but I am sure some other users here still remember it, maybe it will be explained by other users.

and from my personal opinion, it actually all depends on the policy of the platform, if it requires publication, it may be forced to do so, but such regulations should not exist on gambling platforms because anonymity is very important and it should be if a bettor wins big and refuses to publish it. gambling parties must respect it.

[Outhue]

It depends on which country you hit the jackpot, if it's the America then I can charge the casino to go public because it's like they are trying to use me for advertisement, no way I am going to do that for free even if I win millions of dollars, the last people I can have mercy on in this life is casino owners, they have nothing to lose.

Now If this is happening in my country I won't dare decide to come out in the open, I will prefer to keep it as a secret because if you expose yourself you will see people trying to find you and where you live, and this includes criminals who will forcefully ask for their own share of the win, like it's normal thing to do, and if you are out of luck you will attract the evil ones who would like to take everything from you, by kidnapping you or someone in your family.

So if you are a mega winner first make sure you are in a safe country and protect yourself, or just tell them no and give them your reasons, there is no crime in saying no to them as coming out in the public after you win big amount of money isn't part of the gambling rules.

[Helena Yu]

Yeah he can, but it will resulting he will not able to claim his winnings.

Their money their rule, this phrase is unavoidable when you rely on centralized site. Even you've ask them before you win big amount of money, they can give an excuse if their owner or other third party force them to publicity the winner.

[sunsilk]

Yeah he can, but it will resulting he will not able to claim his winnings.

Their money their rule, this phrase is unavoidable when you rely on centralized site. Even you've ask them before you win big amount of money, they can give an excuse if their owner or other third party force them to publicity the winner.

That is true, just like this article says: Mega Millions: Can a jackpot winner remain anonymous? Not in these states

It is their rule to announce name of the winner publicly. So if you're from the US and in a state that doesn't allow you to remain anonymous upon winning the mega lottery then that only means that you'll be publicly announced and exposed.

A quote from the article which can be the same in other countries.:

For example, in California, where a winner has yet to come forward to claim a Powerball ticket worth $2.04 billion sold in November, disclosure laws require the California Lottery to share the winner’s full name and where they bought the ticket.

In Missouri, your name is only released if you give the state lottery written consent.

[angrybirdy]

It is the right of the gambler to be able to refuse all kinds of publicity about him and his winnings, because it is privacy and people must respect it. Unless the platform has a ToS which explains that the player must comply with all forms of publication carried out by the platform and the player has agreed to this, then he has no reason to refuse that the platform will publish his winnings and his identity to the public.

Yup, and to keep their privacy and personal space, It's better not to publish the winners real identity and image if the public presentation shows Images of the winner because we didn't know what will the possibilities that may happen, what if someone might plan to do bad things because they know the identity of the winner like robbery and kidnapping since we're living in digit era where every information is very accessible in the internet. Here in our country, If a person hit the mega jackpot in lottery, the sweepstake officers will post in social media websites the picture of the winner with a cheque in their hand indicating the total winning prize but the face is blurred for the betterment of the winner.

[avp2306]

I created this topic as a result of this news, a young Ghanaian man won 6,000,000 GHC ($501,664) with a bet of 40 GHC. This happened few days ago and it trended on social media. Some of the comments from netizens are that the young man should leave Ghana to avoid being robbed or poisoned.

I know some of us must have seen the formal presentation of a mega winner to the public by a gambling platform. Most times, these bookies invite media outlets to their offices to cover the ceremony, so that the news could be captured on newspapers, tv, internet etc. My questions are...  Can a bettor reject being unveiled to the public? Are gambling platforms paying an extra money for the publicity?

The winner should be anonymous since they their life is in danger for being expose to win such huge amount of money. For sure to many criminals or those greedy people might plan bad for that kid just to get the amount he won. Since he's been exposed then much better for him to go away for a while so that he will be safe then just came back once he think he's safe and the hype about the news about winning such huge amount subside.

Its good to have formal presentation of the winners since for sure many of the people who bet seek the figure of the winner but they should not disclose the face,name or even slight information for a person to be know since we all know how risky it is that's why they need to be more careful next time for declaring their winners. For the question if a bettor can reject to get revealed on public I think yes. Its our right to remain anonymous especially if there's a huge threat after that event.

[lumbanrang]

My questions are...  Can a bettor reject being unveiled to the public? Are gambling platforms paying an extra money for the publicity?

Every gambling platform must have their own terms and conditions for such a publicity and it can be different from one to another. From player's perspective, of course all players has the right to reject the publicity because of security or privacy reason but the next question is, will be there a consequence for the player who reject the publicity? Of course it will be depending on the terms and conditions of the platforms.

If we discuss the publicity rules applied by gambling sites then it goes back to the rules of the gambling site, because actually the ones who benefit from the publicity are the gambling place or platform, they really want it to increase the number of players on their platform. Regulations regarding privacy are definitely different in each region, and I don't know how these regions regulate this privacy issue, if it has to be forced then the jackpot winner cannot refuse the publicity requirement.

[adultcrypto]

I know some of us must have seen the formal presentation of a mega winner to the public by a gambling platform. Most times, these bookies invite media outlets to their offices to cover the ceremony, so that the news could be captured on newspapers, tv, internet etc. My questions are...  Can a bettor reject being unveiled to the public? Are gambling platforms paying an extra money for the publicity?

I have seen a few occasions where someone who win the maximum payout or something close to that being invited by the company to claim other awards attached to such size of winnings. It is usually made public and used for promotion to tell people that such is possible.

I don't think there is any low or provision in the T&C mandating people to honour such invitations,  so it is a thing of individual decision. Considering that there is a prize attached to honouring such invitations or publishing ones winning in the public, many people will not have a problem with that.

On the other hand, if there are no prizes attached to such publicity, I don't see any need accepting to be made public unless the individual involved just want to become a public figure which is also something many people are looking to achieve.

[Synchronice]

I created this topic as a result of this news, a young Ghanaian man won 6,000,000 GHC ($501,664) with a bet of 40 GHC. This happened few days ago and it trended on social media. Some of the comments from netizens are that the young man should leave Ghana to avoid being robbed or poisoned.

I know some of us must have seen the formal presentation of a mega winner to the public by a gambling platform. Most times, these bookies invite media outlets to their offices to cover the ceremony, so that the news could be captured on newspapers, tv, internet etc. My questions are...  Can a bettor reject being unveiled to the public? Are gambling platforms paying an extra money for the publicity?

It's in their ToS agreement that winner should do a public presentation if they receive a demand from company. And to be honest, that makes perfect sense because when someone wins mega jackpot or any super big prize, people want to know who is the winner to be sure that things are done fairly and it's not a rigged.

I think it should be a real must keep such high wins completely private.
It is obvious that unwanted interests would be attracted, not only from criminals but also from simple acquaintances, friends or worse, relatives!

I don't think there is a bonus for those who are presented publicly but it is probably in their interest to be able to present and exploit the event to obtain publicity.

It's requirement for many reasons, one of them I described above your quote. By the way, when you want money, you have to be ready that you'll attract criminals, false friend, relatives and other people. What's the point of having tons of money and hiding every cent of it? When you have money, you have to buy expensive cars, clothes, jewelry, watches. Otherwise, what's the point? Money comes with responsibilities, the problem is that poor people who wake up one day and become a millionaire, aren't ready for those responsibilities and have no experience too. But over time, it gets better.

[Mr. Magkaisa]

It is the right of the gambler to be able to refuse all kinds of publicity about him and his winnings, because it is privacy and people must respect it. Unless the platform has a ToS which explains that the player must comply with all forms of publication carried out by the platform and the player has agreed to this, then he has no reason to refuse that the platform will publish his winnings and his identity to the public.

Yup, and to keep their privacy and personal space, It's better not to publish the winners real identity and image if the public presentation shows Images of the winner because we didn't know what will the possibilities that may happen, what if someone might plan to do bad things because they know the identity of the winner like robbery and kidnapping since we're living in digit era where every information is very accessible in the internet. Here in our country, If a person hit the mega jackpot in lottery, the sweepstake officers will post in social media websites the picture of the winner with a cheque in their hand indicating the total winning prize but the face is blurred for the betterment of the winner.

        -   I'm just not sure if it's required for the winners to be exposed to the public. Because if they respect the privacy of the winner, I think there is no need for such exposure.

First of all, if the winner also wants to be exposed publicly, of course that's his decision; that's why it's a bit risky. Because you seem to be encouraging thieves or exploitative people to take advantage of you or rob you, that's what you want to convey to us in the field of crypto business.

[AicecreaME]

In our country, it isn't mandatory to show your identity to the public when you won the jackpot amount. You just have to arrive at their office during the time frame of claiming the winning, provide your real name, and your ticket to claim your prize. People shouldn't be forced to publicly announce that they won the mega prize for security reasons. All the unwanted attention might be focused into you once people knew you have money. You can be prone into kidnapping, murder, robbery, and sudden loans from those people that know you. Which will make your life be at risk and it will be hard for you to navigate your way when there are many eyes watching.

Privacy and security should be prioritized when dealing with matters such as this.

[Coin_trader]

I know some of us must have seen the formal presentation of a mega winner to the public by a gambling platform. Most times, these bookies invite media outlets to their offices to cover the ceremony, so that the news could be captured on newspapers, tv, internet etc. My questions are...  Can a bettor reject being unveiled to the public? Are gambling platforms paying an extra money for the publicity?

It depends on ToS but casino in general ask the consent of the winner itself before they publish the full details of the winner because they can simply make the winner identity anonymous while announcing that someone win the huge jackpot prize. It will put the life of winner in danger if they will published it without their consent.

I remember some casino has a ToS that publish their customer winning as part of their ToS but only username so no identity reveal. On this case which every info is published on a nationwide scale, I believe there’s something about the casino on publishing winners details.

[madnessteat]

Everyone has the right to privacy so if the lucky person does not want everyone to know his name because of possible problems, then the organizers of gambling should enter into his position and replace his real name with another.

In my opinion, any person who thinks a little bit about his safety will want not to give his name.