Chapter 563, BINGO AND RAFFLE CONTROL

563.02 Purpose. The legislature declares that: (1) All phases of the conduct of bingo, except bingo games using free cards and donated prizes for which no payment of consideration is made by participants, should be closely controlled by appropriate laws and rules, which should be…

563.03 Definitions. In this chapter: (1) “Adult family home” has the meaning given in s. 50.01 (1). (1m) “Bingo” means a game of chance in which players pay a consideration in order to participate, in which 75 numbered objects are available for selection, and those objects actual…

563.04 General duties of the department. The department shall: (2) Conduct hearings on the suspension or revocation of a license for violation of this chapter or any applicable rules promulgated under it. (3) Promulgate rules under ch. 227 relating to the issuance, renewal, amend…

563.05 Departmental duties; powers; prohibitions. (2) The department may promulgate rules requiring holders of licenses issued under subch. III to post a notice in a conspicuous place where a bingo occasion is being conducted describing the procedures for filing a complaint again…

563.051 Bingo and raffle security. The department may do any of the following: (1) Provide all of the security services for the bingo and raffle operations under this chapter. (2) Monitor the regulatory compliance of bingo and raffle operations under this chapter. (3) Audit the b…

563.055 Cancellation of license; reinstatement. (1) If the holder of a license issued under this chapter pays a fee required under s. 563.13 (4), 563.22 (2) or 563.92 (2) by check and the check is not paid by the bank upon which the check is drawn, the department may cancel the l…

563.10 Rules governing commingling of receipts prohibited. The department may not promulgate any rule relating to the commingling of bingo and raffle receipts. History: 1979 c. 41; 1985 a. 182 ss. 55 (4), 57; 1991 a. 269 s. 782at; Stats. 1991 s. 563.10; 1995 a. 27 s. 9123 (6pp); …

563.11 License to conduct bingo. (1) Any bona fide religious, charitable, service, fraternal or veterans organization or any organization, other than the state or any political subdivision of the state, to which contributions are deductible for federal income tax purposes or stat…

563.12 Bingo license application. Each applicant for a license to conduct bingo shall file with the department an application on a form prescribed by the department. Except as provided in s. 563.135, the application shall include: (1) The name and address of the applicant. (2) Su…

563.13 Affidavits and fees. Except as provided in s. 563.135, an application for a license to conduct bingo shall be accompanied by: (2) A sworn statement by the member designated as responsible for the proper utilization of gross receipts that no commission or other fee, salary,…

563.135 Bingo license application; community-based residential facilities, senior citizen community centers and adult family homes. (1) An application for a license to conduct bingo for an organization listed under s. 563.11 (1) (b) to (d) shall be accompanied by a license fee of…

563.14 Department determinations. Upon receipt of an application for a license to conduct bingo, the department shall investigate the qualifications of the applicant and the merits of the application and before issuing a license shall determine that: (1) The applicant is eligible…

563.15 Issuance of license to conduct bingo. (1) After making the determinations under s. 563.14, the department shall either notify the applicant organization in writing why a license is not being issued or issue a license to such applicant organization authorizing it to conduct…

563.16 Amendment of license to conduct bingo. Upon application by a licensed organization, a license may be amended, if the subject matter of the amendment properly and lawfully could have been included in the original license. An application for an amendment to a license shall b…

563.17 Denial of application; hearing. If the department denies a license to conduct bingo, within 30 days after receiving written notification of such denial, an applicant may demand in writing a hearing before the department upon the applicant’s qualifications and the merit of …

563.18 Suspension or revocation. (1) Proceedings to suspend or revoke a supplier’s license or a license to conduct bingo shall be initiated by the department pursuant to the rules promulgated under s. 563.05 (4). (3) The department’s decision under this section is subject to judi…

563.21 Supplier’s license. Any person intending to sell or distribute bingo supplies or equipment to a licensed organization shall apply to the department for a supplier’s license. History: 1973 c. 156; 1989 a. 147; 1991 a. 269 s. 782ep; Stats. 1991 s. 563.21; 1995 a. 27 s. 9123 …

563.22 Supplier’s license application. (1) An application for a supplier’s license shall be filed with the department on a form prescribed by the department. The application shall include: (a) The name and address of the applicant. (b) A designation of the type of business organi…

563.24 Issuance of supplier’s license. Upon receiving an application for a supplier’s license, the department may require the applicant, or if the applicant is a corporation, limited liability company or partnership, its officers, directors, stockholders and members, to appear an…

563.25 Supplier to notify department of changes. During the pendency of an application for a supplier’s license, the applicant shall immediately notify the department in writing of any change in the facts set forth in the application, including any change in any item in the appli…

563.26 Maintenance of supplier’s books and records. Each licensed supplier shall maintain his or her books and records in such manner as to enable the department to determine the gross sales of bingo supplies and equipment to licensed organizations. Invoices for the sale of bingo…

563.27 Persons not eligible for supplier’s license. The following persons shall not be eligible for a supplier’s license: (1) Subject to ss. 111.321, 111.322 and 111.335, a person convicted of a felony who has not received a pardon or has not been released from parole, extended s…

563.28 Suspension or restriction of a supplier’s license for delinquent child support payments. (1) If required in a memorandum of understanding entered into under s. 49.857, the department shall suspend or restrict the supplier’s license of any person who is delinquent in making…

563.285 Supplier’s license and delinquent taxes or unemployment insurance contributions. (1) The department shall deny an application for the issuance or renewal of a license, or revoke a license already issued, if the department of revenue certifies under s. 73.0301 that the app…

563.29 Supplier prohibitions. (1) No person shall sell or distribute bingo supplies or equipment to any licensed organization without first having obtained a supplier’s license, but an organization which is or has been during the preceding 12 months, licensed to conduct bingo in …

563.51 Restrictions on the conduct of bingo. (1) WHO CONDUCTS. Only a person licensed under s. 563.15 shall conduct bingo. (2t) PROHIBITED PLACES. Bingo may not be conducted at a place owned, operated or controlled by a person who has been convicted of having operated a gambling …

563.52 Limited period bingo. (1) In this section, “licensee” means a person licensed to conduct limited period bingo. (4) No admission fee shall be charged to play limited period bingo. (5) A fee of not more than $1 per game may be charged for a single card to participate in limi…

563.53 Special bingo games. In addition to provisions in this chapter relating to regular bingo games, the following provisions shall apply to special bingo games: (1) All special bingo cards shall be in a form approved by the department. (2) Each special bingo card shall be used…

563.54 Progressive jackpot bingo. (1) A player wins progressive jackpot bingo by covering all the numbers on his or her bingo card within a specified number of calls. The number of calls for the first game shall be at least 48. The number of calls shall increase by one in each su…

563.55 Local ordinances. Any political subdivision of this state may enact an ordinance that extends the hours during which bingo may be played under s. 563.51 (26). History: 1973 c. 156; 1989 a. 147; 1991 a. 269 s. 782hp; Stats. 1991 s. 563.55. SUBCHAPTER V REPORTS AND FINANCIAL…

563.61 Report of bingo operations. (1) Each licensed organization shall file with the department, on a form prescribed by the department, a semiannual report of bingo operations for each 6-month period beginning on the date on which the organization’s license is issued. The repor…

563.62 Reports improperly filed. (1) The department may refuse to renew a license of an organization found to be delinquent in filing its financial statement or found to have filed an incomplete statement of bingo operations. (2) If a licensed organization fails to file a financi…

563.63 Bingo account. (1) Each licensed organization shall maintain one account which shall be designated as the “bingo account” and which shall be a regular or interest-bearing checking, share draft or negotiable order of withdrawal account from which canceled checks, share draf…

563.64 Bookkeeping and accounts. (1) Each licensed organization shall maintain a single entry or double entry bookkeeping system for the purpose of recording all receipts and expenditures in connection with the conduct of bingo and the disbursement of profits derived therefrom. S…

563.65 Proper and legitimate expenditures; reimbursement and waiver. If a financial audit of a licensed organization shows that an expenditure of bingo funds was not a proper and legitimate expenditure and the department requests that the licensed organization reimburse the appro…

563.66 Financial report to membership. (1) At least once a year, each licensed organization shall report the following information in writing to its membership regarding the bingo occasions which it has conducted: (a) The number of bingo occasions conducted. (b) The gross receipt…

563.68 Expenditure of bingo funds after cessation of bingo. A licensed organization which has ceased to conduct bingo for any reason and has unexpended bingo funds shall disburse such funds in any of the following ways: (1) As provided under s. 563.51 (8) within one year after th…

563.69 Exemptions; community-based residential facilities, senior citizen community centers and adult family homes. This subchapter does not apply to an organization listed under s. 563.11 (1) (b) to (d). History: 1989 a. 147; 1991 a. 269 s. 782jp; Stats. 1991 s. 563.69. SUBCHAPT…

563.71 Duties of the department of justice. (1) INVESTIGATORY PROCEEDING. (a) Whenever the attorney general files with a circuit or supplemental court commissioner a statement that the attorney general believes that a violation of this chapter has occurred, the commissioner shall…

563.72 Inspection for enforcement. Any peace officer or district attorney, within their respective jurisdictions, or an authorized employee of the department, may, at all reasonable hours, enter the premises where a bingo occasion is being conducted and examine the books, papers …

563.73 Penalties. (1) Whoever violates s. 563.51 (1), (8) to (10), (12), (15) or (26) may be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned not more than 9 months or both. (2) Whoever violates any other provision of this chapter may be fined not more than $5,000 or imprisoned not more…

563.80 Gross receipts tax. (1) An occupational tax is imposed on those gross receipts of any licensed organization which are derived from the conduct of bingo, in the following amounts: (a) One percent of the first $30,000 in gross receipts received by a licensed organization dur…

563.907 Qualified organizations. (1) Any local religious, charitable, service, fraternal or veterans organization or any organization to which contributions are deductible for federal income tax purposes or state income or franchise tax purposes, which has been in existence for o…

563.908 Requirements of raffles. (1) A raffle may not be conducted in this state unless any winner in the raffle is determined by a drawing with all tickets or calendars having an equal opportunity to win. (2) Except as provided under sub. (3), a qualified organization under s. 5…

563.91 Limit. No qualified organization under s. 563.907 may conduct more than 365 raffles or more than one calendar raffle during a year. A raffle for which one or more drawings are held on one day at one location is one raffle for purposes of this section. History: 1977 c. 426;…

563.92 License. (1m) (a) The department may issue a Class A license or a Class B license to any qualified organization that applies. (b) Under a Class A license, an organization may do all of the following: 1. Conduct single-container raffles, a calendar raffle, or plastic or rub…

563.925 Liability. (1) With respect to a raffle conducted under a Class A license, the department shall not be held responsible or liable in any dispute regarding the ownership or sale of a share of a ticket under s. 563.93 (3i). (2) The department and the organization conducting…

563.93 The conduct of raffles under a Class A license. All of the following shall apply to the conduct of a raffle under a Class A license: (1e) No person may sell a ticket or calendar unless authorized by an organization with a Class A license. (1m) All tickets and all calendars…

563.935 The conduct of raffles under a Class B license. All of the following shall apply to the conduct of a raffle under a Class B license: (1) All tickets shall be identical in form. (1m) The organization conducting the raffle shall prominently display, at each place where tick…

563.94 Profits. All profits from raffles shall be used by the organization conducting the raffles to further the organization’s purpose for existence and no salaries, fees, or profit shall be paid to any other organization or individual in connection with the operation of a raffl…