Hawaii has long been deliberating the legalization of gambling. Yet, the Aloha State has hit multiple potholes on the road to progress, resulting in legislative limbo and lawmakers failing to muster the support necessary to pass any meaningful measure in the end.

Hawaii starts legislative session with series of gambling legalization bills

Hawaiians have been wary of mainlanders coming in to take out revenue from the state at the expense of locals and inflicting social ills with the pitches launched by DraftKings and FanDuel falling flat. However, another legislative session means that the state legislature will see, and perhaps debate, several bills designed to lay the groundwork for sports and casino gambling legalization.

SB1572 is among the first such efforts this year. "The legislature finds that sports wagering is a commonplace activity and that tens of thousands of residents in the State participate in illegal online sports gambling on unregulated internet sites each year," the bill argues, and it further stipulates that Hawaii’s State Sports Wagering Commission should be established.

Another set of bills have been filed with the House of Representatives and Senate respectively, with HB1308 and SB1569 outlining the same concept for legalizing sports betting. The bills seek to similarly lay the groundwork for regulated gambling in the state and detail the scope of betting activity, prohibited activities, and licensing conditions.

The fee for an initial license or its renewal is set at $250,000 by SB1569, the same amount and stipulations are reflected in HB1308.

The bills also want a person who places a sports wager in the state to be at least 21 years of age, and that no event with participants under the age of 18 is featured by betting markets.

The lottery wants to set the gambling age at 18

Another draft law, SB1507, wants to set up Hawaii’s Lottery and Gaming Corporation, which will be authorized to host casino, poker, and lottery games, and strikes a different tone. The bill also offers to have a lower age of participation – 18, meaning that anyone of this age may join in and wager on a game of chance or the lottery.

Hawaii remains flatly opposed to gambling for the time being, however. The state fears that gambling will beget social ills that will further suppress the local community at the expense of visitors and mainland companies.

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