Quack! Wisconsin bill would legalize duck races

MADISON, Wis. — A Wisconsin lawmaker is introducing a bill, no pun intended, that would legalize duck races.

Well, not real ducks but the plastic ones with numbers on the bottom. Nonprofit organizations commonly race the little plastic ducks as fundraisers. Participants usually buy a raffle ticket corresponding with a duck's number.

The first to float across the finish line wins.

State Rep. Andre Jacque circulated a proposal Thursday to legalize the races. He says the village of Mishicot was warned by the Wisconsin Department of Justice that its annual rubber duck race amounts to illegal gambling.

Jacque's bill creates an exemption for duck races, similar to laws in Minnesota and Michigan.

Rubber duck races in Wisconsin include the "Ducktona 500" in Sheboygan Falls and the "Lucky Ducky Derby" in Menomonee Falls.