Is Sports Betting Legal In Hawaii

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Hawaii sports betting is on the back burner.

Several gambling bills were discussed this week during a House Economic Development Committee meeting, with plentiful vocal opposition.

While HB 736 was deferred, committee chair Rep. Sean Quinlan is supportive of the bill that proposes a sports betting pilot program in Hawaii.

“I feel more comfortable with [over the other gambling bills,]” Quinlan said. “It’s something we really need to look at. With the ubiquity of cell phones, I would like to see the state get its fair share.”

Hawaii sports betting pilot program

  1. If a Hawaii resident earns income from a job in another state, they must report that income, and the same holds true for winning lottery proceeds. Money won by a Hawaii resident in Las Vegas or anywhere else in the world where gambling is legal is taxable income and should be reported.”.
  2. Hawaii is looking to combat a budget deficit with multiple gaming bills, including two that specifically legalize HI sports betting. Mississippi sports betting will go another year without statewide mobile as three bills failed to get a committee vote. There is a slew of bills looking to legalize sports betting in Missouri, with one self.
  3. Even Hawaii, a state that is notorious for its long-running anti-gambling stance, is actively studying the implementation of legal sports betting. According to the American Gaming Association, public support for sports betting is at an all-time high, where 79% of Americans support their state legalizing the pastime.

Like Utah, Hawaii has no gambling of any type. So sports betting in Hawaii is probably not in the cards anytime soon and sports bettors, casino players and online poker fans will continue to frequent online operators that service the rest of the world. There had been an initial push in February 2019 to investigate sports betting in Hawaii. Online sports bets and live bets are the most popular among 1xBet customers, but bettors in several countries can also bet offline in betting shops. 1xBet is a reliable bookmaker which awards its customers by offering fantastic bonuses and exciting promotions.

If approved, the bill would require the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism to develop a pilot program for the state to oversee sports betting.

The program would allow the state to issue licenses to companies to operate mobile betting on the islands. The program would cease to exist in 2025.

DraftKings government affairs manager Rebecca London spoke in favor of the bill. London cited American Gaming Association estimates there are 276,000 Hawaiians illegally betting up to $669 million annually.

Objections to HI sports betting

Deputy Prosecutor Tricia Nakamatsu spoke against the bill on behalf of the Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney’s office.

Nakamatsu said various studies found legalized gambling comes with increased rates of crime, including domestic violence. Hawaii does already have social gambling, which legalizes betting in settings like office pools.

“Once you open this Pandora’s box to legalized commercial gambling … the evidence is very clear [crime] will be way worse,” Nakamatsu said.

Is online betting legal in hawaiiLegal

Lack of enforcement?

Between London’s claims of illegal betting activity on the islands and Nakamatsu’s issues with evaluated crimes correlated to gambling, representatives had questions.

Quinlan and Rep. Richard Onishi asked Nakamatsu what kind of enforcement of illegal gambling exists in Hawaii.

Nakamatsu did not have an answer and said she would look further into the issue. She also feels the AGA estimates are too high.

Is online sports betting legal in hawaii

Other Hawaii gambling bills deferred

The committee also deferred two other bills related to gambling on Wednesday:

HB 383 — to create a state poker commission.
HB 772 — to grant a 10-year license for a standalone members-only casino in Waikiki.

The same committee indefinitely deferredHB 359 last week. That bill proposes a resort-casino to benefit the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands.

SB 595 proposes a sports betting task force and is currently in several Senate committees.

➝ Research

Interactive Map: Sports Betting in the U.S.

AGA’s interactive sports betting map provides state-level detail on the types of wagering allowed, key regulatory details, legal retail sportsbooks and online/mobile, and more.

  • Sports betting activity

    • Live, Legal* (20 States + DC)

    • Legal - Not Yet Operational (5 States)

    • Active or Pre-Filed Legislation in 2021 (17 States)

  • Inactive sports betting

    • No Legislation in 2021 (8 States)
    • Dead Legislation in 2021 (0 States)

Legal Landscape as of February 26, 2021

“Live, Legal” denotes states where single-game sports betting is legally offered to consumers through retail and/or online sportsbooks. States classified as “Legal – Not Yet Operational” have authorized sports betting, but have yet to launch. “Active or Pre-Filed Legislation” denotes jurisdictions where bills to legalize single-game sports betting have been pre-filed/introduced in the state legislature or where a voter referendum is scheduled. Sports betting provisions, revenue, and location data are sourced from state regulatory agencies.

BettingBetting

  • Sports betting activity

    • Live, Legal* (20 States + DC)

    • Legal - Not Yet Operational (5 States)

    • Active or Pre-Filed Legislation in 2021 (17 States)

  • Inactive sports betting

    • No Legislation in 2021 (8 States)
    • Dead Legislation in 2021 (0 States)

Legal Landscape as of February 26, 2021