Retired crime fighter, Reneto Adams says he wouldn’t disguise himself if he was lucky enough to win the lottery. “For me, if I were to have won it, I would avail myself publicly,” Adams said.

Recently, the winner of $151-million Lotto jackpot went to great lengths to conceal his identity.

The millionaire, identified as W Cargill, appeared in a very big wig, dark glasses and a thick moustache that hid his face.

Adam believes that a number of reasons contribute to a lottery winner’s decision to conceal his identity, chief among them to protect himself from attacks.

Reneto Adams

He said persons may opt to hide their identities to avoid being burdened by beggars, family members and pressure from some institutions who want them to invest their money.

“You know how the Jamaica thing stay, from a man in the community mek a money everybody a come beg,” Adams said. “When the publicity is there then they become vulnerable to number of things, such as exploitation by officials who want them to invest in certain schemes and certain people are aware of that so they disguise.”

Adams believes that for lottery winners, the likelihood of them being robbed is more pronounced depending on the community they are from.

“The rich people up at Beverly Hills and Cherry Gardens it not likely for the next door man a go rob him and kill him because him win a little money,” he said.

Players lineup to buy Lotto tickets

Political commentator Richard Crawford concurs that wealthy persons don’t have the same level of fear a lottery winner would.

“They have money for a long period of time. Because of that money and because of the status that they hold in society, they don’t need to be that afraid. Furthermore, they have the contacts and the money to protect themselves properly or as properly as the money can protect them,” Crawford said.

Crawford said the caution and fear partly exists because of the violent nature of this society and the high crime rate.