$847M Powerball winner may stay anonymous forever thanks to New Jersey exception

The identity of the lucky person who won the whopping $847 million Powerball jackpot in New Jersey may never be revealed, due to the state’s privacy laws.

A 2020 Garden State law allows lottery winners to remain anonymous indefinitely — unlike most states that require lotto players to come forward publicly.

The measure was enacted to shield winners from extortion, harassment and pressure to dole out their newly found funds.

Wednesday’s lucky winner struck the jackpot at a Wegman’s in Montvale, an upper-class enclave with a median household income of $178,000.

Powerball officials had not said whether a winner had come forward and did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.

Wednesday’s winner could choose between receiving installments over 29 years or a one-time lump sum payment of $363.1 million – with more than half of the fortune being lost to taxes.

Winners who choose to remain anonymous under New Jersey’s 2020 law still have to verify their identity privately and settle up any unpaid child support, student loans, or other government debts before collecting their prize.

A similar proposal that would allow New York lottery winners to remain hidden from the public eye is currently being considered in Albany.

Nine other states allow lottery winners to remain confidential no matter how large their windfall is, while another nine allow privacy only over a certain winning threshold, according to a People Magazine study.