Shipbuilding business
Wis. Stat. § 945.095
in effect(1) Notwithstanding ss. 945.03, 945.04 and 945.05, a person may construct, deliver, convert or repair a vessel that is equipped with gambling devices if all of the following conditions are satisfied:
(a) The work performed on the vessel is ordered by a customer who shall use or possess the vessel outside of this state in a locality where the use or possession of the gambling devices on the vessel is lawful.
(b) The person performs the work on the vessel that is equipped with the gambling devices at a shipbuilding business that is located in Sturgeon Bay, Manitowoc, Marinette, Superior or La Crosse, Wisconsin.
(c) The person registers with the U.S. attorney general, pursuant to 15 USC 1173, and specifies in that registration that the person is in the business of installing and removing gambling devices, as defined in 15 USC 1171 (a), as part of the process of performing work on vessels ordered by a customer who shall use or possess the vessel outside of this state in a locality where the use or possession of the gambling devices on the vessel is lawful.
(d) The person provides the department of administration, prior to the importation of the gambling devices into the state, all records that account for the gambling devices, including the identification number affixed to each gambling device by the manufacturer, and that identify the location where the gambling devices will be stored prior to the installation of the gambling devices on the vessel.
(e) The person stores the gambling devices at a secured warehouse facility and permits any person authorized to enforce the gambling laws under s. 165.50 to inspect the facility where the gambling devices are stored and any records relating to the gambling devices.
(f) If the person removes used gambling devices from a vessel, the person shall provide the department of administration with an inventory of the used gambling devices prior to their removal from the vessel. The inventory shall include the identification number affixed to each gambling device by the manufacturer.
(g) The person submits documentation to the department of administration, no later than 30 days after the date of delivery, that the vessel equipped with gambling devices has been delivered to the customer who ordered the work performed on the vessel.
(h) The person does not sell a gambling device to any other person except to a customer who shall use or possess the gambling device outside of this state in a locality where the use or possession of the gambling device is lawful. If a person sells a gambling device to such a customer, the person shall submit documentation to the department of administration, no later than 30 days after the date of delivery, that the gambling device has been delivered to the customer.
(2) If any person who constructs, delivers, converts or repairs a vessel that is equipped with gambling devices does not satisfy all of the conditions under sub. (1), the person is subject to ss. 945.03, 945.04 and 945.05.
Source: WI Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/statutes/945.095Fetched: 10/7/2026