Hopes of bringing authorized on-line sports activities betting to Hawaii have been dashed as lawmakers did not finalize House Bill 1308 earlier than the legislative deadline. Despite unprecedented progress in transferring the measure via the session, key disagreements prevented its approval, leaving proponents targeted on regrouping for a future try.
Hawaii’s legislative session closes with out sports activities betting legalization:
Negotiations between the House and Senate finally collapsed over unresolved points comparable to tax charges, licensing constructions, and who would oversee sportsbook operations. “We put our best effort forward, we got it very far this year, this deep into conference, but it seems as if we have not come to agreement on details: the tax amount who would operate, would house the operation of the sports betting and give out the license and licensing fees,” mentioned State Rep. Daniel Holt.
State Rep. Greggor Ilagan echoed the sentiment, acknowledging throughout a joint committee listening to, “We’ve been working on [HB 1308], and at this moment, it’s very hard to get a compromise, and at this point we have a House and Senate disagreement.”
The missed settlement means HB 1308 won’t proceed to a closing vote earlier than Hawaii’s legislative session ends on May 2.
While the invoice’s failure disenchanted supporters, many emphasised that vital groundwork had been laid for future legalization efforts. A working group composed of legislation enforcement, tourism, authorities, and business specialists will proceed evaluating the potential framework for playing regulation.
“There’s never been a bill that went this far in gaming,” famous Cliff Laboy, a lobbyist for T. George Paris and the Hawaii Ironworkers Stabilization Fund. Laboy added, “Get the task force, go out there, find out, study, do your due diligence, come back, go back to the table and figure out which way you want to go. But Hawaii needs something like this.”
Had the invoice succeeded, Hawaii would have turn into the fortieth U.S. state to legalize cell sports activities betting and the thirty second to permit it statewide. Governor Josh Green had signaled his assist, saying earlier, “Look, as long as there’s some safeguards with gambling addiction services and so on, if the Legislature goes the full way and passes it, I’ll likely let it become law.”
HB 1308 initially proposed a ten% tax price on gross gaming revenues and a $250,000 licensing charge, however these monetary specifics have been eliminated within the House model, including to the legislative friction.
Opposition voices cite dangers of growth:
Strong opposition got here from a number of corners, together with Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi, Prosecutor Steve Alm, and Police Chief Arthur Logan, who warned about potential social harms in a joint assertion: “Online sports betting is not harmless entertainment — it’s a high-tech pipeline to addiction and financial ruin,” Alm acknowledged.
Critics like Les Bernal, National Director of Stop Predatory Gambling, praised the legislature’s resolution. “The legislature in Hawaii stood up on behalf of the people of Hawaii and said we are going to say no the greed of outside gambling interests,” Bernal mentioned, calling Hawaii “a model for the rest of the country.”
Les Bernal additional identified that with out legalized playing, residents profit from “less taxes” and “more economic opportunity,” citing different states’ struggles with the social penalties of on-line playing.
According to Hawaii News Now, considerations over elevated entry to playing have been additionally voiced by state Rep. and minority chief Lauren Matsumoto, who mentioned, “Once you have that toehold, that leads to the foothold that could lead to casinos here in Hawaii so I think it’s important for us to tread cautiously because once you open that up so there’s no taking it back.”
Additionally, Dawn O’Brien, an Aloha Ambassador working in faculties, shared her reservations, saying, “Those who came out were passionate, both for and against. I am obviously against, I work in many schools representing the choose emotional social aloha learning program, and I’ve seen the ravaging effects of gambling.”
Looking forward to 2026:
Supporters intend to proceed working via the problems that derailed HB 1308. Holt remarked, “It is what it is, and we just got to work harder next year, try to answer the questions that the rest of the members and the public has and see if we can capture this tax revenue that we much need for our state.”
The Sports Betting Alliance estimates that Hawaii residents already wager about $300 million yearly through offshore websites and unlawful bookmakers. Advocates argue that regulating the exercise might redirect this move into reputable channels whereas making a devoted Problem Gambling Prevention and Treatment Special Fund underneath the Department of Health.
With the 2024 effort falling quick, many anticipate that the push to legalize on-line sports activities betting — and presumably fantasy sports activities — will return with renewed vitality within the 2026 legislative session.
