Limitations on ticket and share sales and purchases
Wis. Stat. § 565.17
in effect(1) Who may sell. Lottery tickets or lottery shares may not be sold by any person other than a retailer or the department.
(1m) Ticket couriers prohibited. No person may operate a ticket courier service in this state.
(2) Price. No person may sell lottery tickets or lottery shares at a price other than the retail sales price established by the administrator under s. 565.27 (1) (b), except to the extent of any discount authorized by the administrator or the department.
(3) Cash sales. Lottery tickets or lottery shares may be sold only for cash.
(4) Age.
(a) A person under 18 years of age may not purchase a lottery ticket or lottery share. This paragraph does not prohibit a person 18 years of age or older from giving a lottery ticket or lottery share to a person under 18 years of age.
(b) No person may sell a lottery ticket or lottery share to a person under 18 years of age or to any other person knowing that the lottery ticket or lottery share is being purchased for a person under 18 years of age other than as a gift.
(c) No person may pay a prize for a winning lottery ticket or lottery share to any person knowing that the purchaser was under 18 years of age or knowing that the lottery ticket or lottery share was purchased for a person under 18 years of age other than as a gift.
(5) Certain department employees.
(a) Except as provided under par. (d), no employee in the lottery division of the department or the secretary, deputy secretary, or assistant deputy secretary of revenue and no member of such a person’s immediate family, as defined in s. 19.42 (7), may purchase a lottery ticket or lottery share.
(b) No person may sell a lottery ticket or lottery share to a person knowing that the purchaser is prohibited from purchasing a lottery ticket or lottery share under par. (a).
(c) No person may pay a prize for a winning lottery ticket or lottery share to any person knowing that the purchaser was prohibited from purchasing a lottery ticket or lottery share under par. (a).
(d) An employee in the lottery division of the department may purchase a lottery ticket or lottery share if the purchase is on behalf of the lottery division of the department and is a part of an official lottery investigation. No person may share or assign a lottery ticket or lottery share purchased under this paragraph and no person may claim any prize or winnings from a lottery ticket or lottery share purchased under this paragraph.
Source: WI Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/statutes/565.17Fetched: 10/7/2026