Strongly believe that the winner of the lottery jackpot should not be disclosed!

The myth of getting rich overnight is something that people often talk about with great interest. The news that a lottery player from Henan won a staggering 360 million yuan in the Double Color Ball lottery quickly sparked heated discussions among the public, and along with it came a lot of doubts - could such an incredible way of winning be suspected of being fake? In response to these doubts, the Henan Welfare Lottery Center held a press conference to disclose the details of how this huge prize was generated, and stated that the draw was genuine and tampering was impossible.

Although the press conference claimed to reveal the details, there were actually no details disclosed, and there wasn't even a session for journalists to ask questions. It was merely a repeated assertion that the draw was real.

Of course, we would rather believe in the miraculous Henan lottery player who won the big prize in such a magical way. After all, gambling games themselves are about magic; they don't follow any specific patterns, and winning a big prize is purely a matter of luck. However, the issue arises when more and more people question the authenticity of the grand prize. What should the lottery managers use to respond to these doubts and alleviate the public's concerns? After all, the lottery is a public welfare cause, the public has the right to know, and the managers have the obligation to clarify doubts.

Not to mention the various scandals and controversies constantly exposed in the lottery industry, such as the fraud case involving BMW lotteries in Shanxi, or the blacklisted Double Color Ball incident in Shenzhen; even for publicly announced grand prizes, it's rare to see the winners appear in person. The identity of the winner of the hundred-million-yuan prize in Gansu remains unknown, as does the identity of the winner of the 96 million yuan prize in Guangzhou. Whether the winner of this 360 million yuan grand prize will show up is still uncertain.

In the face of various doubts, having the grand prize winner appear in person is undoubtedly an effective way to prove the truth. However, the "Lottery Management Regulations" which came into effect on July 1st this year explicitly stipulates: lottery issuing agencies, lottery sales agencies, lottery distributors, and other personnel who have access to personal information of lottery winners due to their position or business convenience, must keep the personal information of lottery winners confidential. The reason given is to protect personal privacy.

Certainly, personal privacy needs protection. From another perspective, it can be believed that most people who win a big prize may prefer to keep it confidential, not wanting their lives to be disturbed because of winning the big prize. But since the lottery is a charitable cause, its public welfare nature dictates that the public has the right to know. This right to know includes the entire process of how the lottery operates, and naturally includes the personal information of the grand prize winner. Moreover, anyone who buys a lottery ticket should be aware that buying a ticket is contributing to charity, and when they buy a ticket, they should realize that if they win a big prize, their personal information will no longer be private and should be made public. It’s like participating in a game where you need to accept the rules of the game.

In foreign countries, for example, in the United States where the lottery industry is well-developed, there is a specific law called the "Freedom of Information Act", which clearly stipulates that winners must disclose their names and the cities where they reside, and citizens have the right to query relevant data from government departments. This is also the common practice in most countries and regions. Especially for public lotteries supported by government credibility and issued to the general public, it is necessary to disclose the entire operational process to society, especially the final归属of the grand prize. By contrast, in our country, there has been no good balance between protecting the privacy of the winners and ensuring the public's right to know, leading to public doubts about the true identity of the grand prize winners. This is clearly a challenge that needs to be addressed in the legislative phase of lottery management.

On the surface, the public questions the authenticity of the grand prize winner, but behind it lies the public's doubts about the transparency and openness of the entire lottery operation process. As a public welfare cause, the amount, destination, and use of funds raised by the lottery must be transparent and open, and the draw process must be transparent and fair. If there is a lack of necessary transparency in the operational procedures, it will provide some possibility for "behind-the-scenes operations". How to improve the lottery operation process? Perhaps starting with disclosing the identity of the grand prize winner could be a good approach.