Wisconsin Senate Bill SB986

Wisconsin 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/6/26
• Refer: 2/6/26
• Failed: 3/23/26

Caption

An Act to repeal 565.27 (2) (b) 1. and 565.27 (2) (b) 4.; to create 565.27 (2) (b) 1m. and 565.27 (2) (b) 4m. of the statutes; Relating to: requirements for state lottery drawings. (FE)

Summary

SB986 would revise Wisconsin’s state lottery drawing requirements. Under current law, lottery drawings must be witnessed and, in some cases, inspected by an independent certified public accountant and a Department of Revenue employee before and after the drawing. The bill repeals those specific witness and inspection requirements and replaces them with a broader rule that lottery drawings must be random selections of the winning results, with the Department of Revenue authorized to use mechanical, electrical, or computerized drawing methods. The bill also adds an annual oversight requirement. For any drawings conducted, the Department of Revenue would have to contract with an independent firm at least once each year to audit the drawing processes and review the technologies used, security procedures, computer and systems security, and randomly selected drawings. In effect, the bill shifts oversight away from direct on-site CPA witnessing and inspection toward periodic independent auditing and technology/security review.

Impact

SB986 would amend Wisconsin Statutes section 565.27 governing state lottery drawings by repealing two existing subsections and creating two new ones. The practical effect is to modernize the statutory framework for lottery drawings, allowing the Department of Revenue to use mechanical, electrical, or computerized methods while replacing the current CPA witness/inspection model with an annual independent audit requirement. The bill would affect the Department of Revenue, lottery drawing procedures, and the outside firms used for audit and security review.

Sentiment

The available context suggests the bill was introduced as a technical or administrative modernization measure rather than a highly controversial policy change. There are no committee transcripts or recorded votes provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate or opposition in the supplied materials. The bill ultimately failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1, indicating it did not advance through the legislative process despite being formally introduced.

Contention

The main point of potential contention is the change in oversight structure for lottery drawings. Supporters would likely favor the flexibility of mechanical, electrical, and computerized drawing methods and the shift to annual independent audits as a modernized security framework. Critics could question whether removing the requirement for an independent CPA witness and pre/post-drawing inspection reduces real-time transparency or public confidence in lottery integrity. Because no hearing transcript is provided, the specific positions of legislators, the Department of Revenue, or outside stakeholders are not documented in the supplied record.