Lottery Winners - Entitlement to Privacy?

If the newspapers become aware of the fact that you have won €220 million, I cannot see any basis on which you could prevent them from reporting the fact. And of course the solicitor's letter that you propose sending would have to name you, and so would make sure that they all are aware of your good fortune. So don't do that.

Winners can choose to remain anonymous as far as the Euro Millions organisation is concerned however that doesn't stop rumor innuendo from occurring or tabloids chasinga story that has to be denied.

I know someone personally who won a few million on Irish Lotto , they remained anonymous but had the miss fortune of purchasing the Ticket in a small village were they had family ( my friend lives in Dublin) within hours the entire village and probably county knew who won and whilst not easily proven it is believed the shop owner spread the news, not helped the following day when the national lottery released the location and shop ticket was purchased in. To this day (10 years later) my friend is asked did he win, his answer is, mind your business.

I've always wondered how is it possible to have a right to remain anonymous and yet the national lottery releases the names of the premises were wining tickets purchased.

A person might have some hope of privacy purchasing online or in a large town or city but zero chance in a village or small town. Seems contradictory and counter intuitive if a winner chooses anonymity, their legal right , with national lottery who then goes on to announce we're ticket was purchased.

There are lotteries around the world that winners have to confirm a win and partake in unseemly & vulgar promotional campaigns.

By all means enagage a solicitor from whatever firm you wish.

But definitely don't get them to write to the press. Get them to collect the winnings on your behalf and to deposit in to your account or with whatever firm you wish to handle it. Let them act directly with the National Lottery in your place.

Stay sitting at home in Connemara, or Bandon or Finglas or wherever and lie your life as you wish.

No such rights exist. In Norway every persons salary is published https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-40669239

If they were genuine rights you would not be stripping people of them whether a criminal or a bankrupt of a public office holder.

You've invented "damages" there. I'm not sure how stating the fact someone won the lottery is libellous? It's a statement of fact. Mental health is really stretching it.

But you have stumbled across the "burden" of wealth and fame. Like everything in life it's a tradeoff.

The smart thing would be to get a Belfast solicitor, deposit in a non-Irish bank (they leak like sieves) and confess in several months winning a 2m lottery to friends and family. You can't hide a lifestyle change like that...

Agents Ticket sales also verified time stamped and submitted electronically, but that aside , I happen to live in very rural Ireland and can tell you the local shop keeper not only knows everyone, but could probably confirm the color of jocks and knickers local customers wear.

Without giving too much away, I know for a fact, CCTV was viewed to work out my friend won, even that was also the talk of the town where he won.

Edit, I never said Lotto tell shop what time winning ticket sold

Buy the tickets online so. Very easy to do and complete anonymity assured.

It's really not that difficult, not sure why you think it is, ticket was purchased in a small shop, very small town and very early on the day, CCTV etc etc .

As I've explained, it would be perhaps more difficult in a larger shop, supermarket, large town etc, it wasn't, ticket purchased in a tight knot community and whilst trying not to give too much away, a relative of the winner worked in the shop and CCTV footage was viewed to try an work it out .

Well if every "good cause" and its mother are asking you for money and you aren't providing any (because you haven't won) and you get a reputation as a mean and selfish lottery winner as a result then it would surely affect your standing in the community.

"Sure isn't your man a right bollix. It was in the paper he won 220m Euro and the prick wouldn't even give 1000 to the local GAA to help them buy some underage jerseys and all his kids after going through the club"

I think the only way you might get compensation is if you could prove a GDPR breach from your local bank where a staff member leaked your new account balance.

Me personally id take all the anonymity the Lotto would give me and then go straight to a Lamborghini dealership to buy a bright green Huracan Performante, its not a fool proof plan ill admit 😄

I could easily be the actual friend 🤣

But honestly I'm neither, oddly enough it was a year after the fact I knew about the win, I was abroad at the time, its over 10 years ago now. I'll admit though, my friend was generous and had a little something for one or two very close friends. He'd actually just took early retirement.

He never bothered with how news of him winning got out in the town, he denies it to this day if ever asked when visiting the particular town, of course with a smirk on his face, a nicer person couldn't have won it 😉

Key word "actionable". You didn't include that earlier, neither did anyone else

A statement can be defamatory whether it is true or not.

That it is true can be used as a defence. However, whether the statement was defamatory or not does depend on subsequent defence and result of that defence.

Basically, if someone defames you with a true statement, and they can prove it to be true, you would be wasting your time trying to sue them for damages. It doesn't change that the statement was defamatory. Just that you won't get any money.

Conversely, despite your link, you can win your claim even if the defamatory statement is true. You would need to prove only that the statement was defamatory. You would not have to prove it was false. The onus would be on the other side to prove it were true in order to use that defence! It might be true but they might be unable to prove that.

As this is the legal forum, I expect there are others who can confirm.

But they do inform the shop. And that then makes the headlines.

Ironically, your own analysis of my post is very poor. You are free to think, as the poster appeared to think, that in order to prove defamation that you must prove the statement is false. That is wrong. You may look up the definition of a defamatory statement if you so wish. You won't see any dependence on falsehood or truth.

Let's suppose I am aware of common rumours that Claw Hammer is addicted to cocaine. You are addicted to it, but you keep it out of the public eye. I publish the claim in my newspaper. Now I don't have any proof or anyone who will give evidence to the fact. I have good journalistic sources who have confirmed it to me "off the record".

Is the statement defamatory? Can you sue me for damages? Will you need to prove that it is false in order for your case to prevail?

Hint - The answers are yes, yes and no respectively.

Edit, I see Hullabaloo backed up my previous post. Thanks

Not a legal answer I know, but the obvious answer is to play lotto online.

No shopkeeper, I assume no location released by the lottery.

I like the earlier post about the new foreign job and hiring a PA to manage your world tour...

That's my plan.... :)

As for getting a lawyer to collect my winnings..... that's way too much faith in the legal profession for me....