Court Upheld Lottery Winners' Anonymity
The South Carolina Court of Appeals ruled that the state lottery may withhold winners' names and sensitive records.
Updated on Sept. 29, 2026 in Gambling
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The South Carolina Court of Appeals affirmed a summary judgment protecting the South Carolina Lottery Commission from disclosing the names of lottery winners. The court found that a 2023 budget proviso legally bars such disclosures.
Why it matters
The ruling settles a legal challenge regarding the Freedom of Information Act and state privacy protections. It underscores how specific budgetary provisions can effectively override general transparency requirements for state agencies.
Compliance with the requested FOIA searches would require reviewing millions of emails and hundreds of thousands of financial records, totaling 52,000 work hours. The court upheld the redaction of signatures under the Family Privacy Protection Act.
The players
South Carolina Lottery Commission
This is the state agency responsible for managing lottery operations and complying with state disclosure laws.
South Carolina Court of Appeals
This is the appellate court that issued the ruling affirming the commission's right to withhold records.
The details
The court ruled that the lottery commission correctly applied the law in effect at the time of its determination, specifically a budget proviso that took effect July 1, 2023. Additionally, the court found the original FOIA requests were overly broad and would be unduly burdensome for the state to process.
Timeline
July 1, 2023: The budget proviso barring name disclosure took effect.
September 29, 2026: The South Carolina Court of Appeals issued its decision.
Culture Shift
The ruling reflects a broader trend of balancing public records transparency against the growing emphasis on individual digital privacy and security. It highlights how states are increasingly codifying privacy protections to limit the public availability of personal information.
Residents seeking to identify lottery winners through public records will remain unable to access this information. The decision reinforces that winners in South Carolina can maintain their anonymity despite filing Freedom of Information Act requests.
The takeaway
This ruling establishes that current state budget provisions effectively shield lottery winners' identities from public disclosure. Individuals should assume their information remains private if they win a lottery prize in South Carolina.
Further reading
Learn more about local regulations on Gambling activities in the state.
Source note: This article includes information reported by South Carolina Lawyers Weekly.
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