Hawaii Says No to Sports Gambling for Now

When it comes to any form of gambling, online or otherwise, only Utah is more conservative than the state of Hawaii. There is something about the Hawaii culture that has an aversion to gambling activities. It's this known adversion that makes it amazing the spors betting in the state actualy made some headway here in 2025.

During the current legislative session, there was a sports betting bill that seemingly gained traction over what had occurred in past years. It got surprisingly close to passing, but it was not meant to be. The bill has officially fallen by the waste side as the current legislative session was brought to a conclusion.

The final deadline for passing was by the end of the legislative day on April 25, 2025. Unfortunately, Hawaiian lawmakers could not reach a consensus regarding what was included in the final version put before Congress.

According to state Rep. Daniel Holt in a press release:

“We put our best effort forward, we got it very far this year, this deep into a conference, but it seems as if we have not come to an 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."

All is Not Lost

While the state's leading sports betting (online and or retail) proponents were disappointed, they still felt pretty good about the progress that was made this time around. Cliff Laboy, a lobbyist representing T. George Paris and the Hawaii Ironworkers Stabilization Fund was very happy with the progress citing the strong efforts made to get something done.

The consensus among proponents now is this progress bodes well for the future. There is a sense that sports betting legislation is inching closer to the goal line. Getting the ball over the line would seemingly only require that legislators find the middle ground on things like the tax rate to be charged on revenue and how to handle the licensing process.

The Nays Will Be Heard

As the progress continues, the opponents of online sports betting in Hawaii are speaking loudly. They are deeply concerned about the problem gambling figures that are popping up in other states where online and retail sports betting has been legalized.

Les Bernal, national director for the advocacy group Stop Predatory Gambling fears allowing Hawaii residents to participate in online gambling activities would have a profound negative effect all over the state. He went so far as to cite 5 other states that have said no thanks in recent months.

Despite his concerns, he was open to the idea of a comprehensive study related to the matter. Given the number of calls from concerned constituents, state Rep. and minority leader Lauren Matsumoto agrees that a study would be an appropriate course of action as opposed to just presenting a sports betting bill.

By all indications, this is a battle that will surely continue when Congress convenes in the early part of 2026.