Sports Betting in Hawaii: Latest Legalization News

Key Points:

• Hawaii had emerged as an unexpected front-runner to legalize sports betting.

• A bill to legalize sports betting in Hawaii passed the state’s House and Senate.

• However, amendments led to the bill being sent to a conference committee for negotiation. 

• The committee of Hawaii Senate and House of Representatives members could not agree to a unified version of the separate bills that previously passed the respective chambers, meaning sports betting will not go live in Hawaii this year.

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In a year with few surprise developments in U.S. gaming legislation, Hawaii had emerged as an unexpected front-runner to legalize sports betting. But despite the fact that the Aloha State inched closer than ever to legalizing sports betting, the path to becoming the 40th legal state was derailed late in the process. 

(Missouri became the 39th state to legalize sports betting in November 2024. Its sportsbooks will go live by Dec. 1 at the latest.)

House Bill 1308, introduced by Rep. Daniel Holt, cleared major hurdles, passing both the House and the Senate. But the Senate approved key amendments, and when the bill returned to the House, lawmakers refused to concur with the changes, sending HB 1308 into conference committee for negotiation. There, no agreement was made, meaning Hawaii will NOT be legalizing sports betting in 2025. 

Is sports betting legal in Hawaii? 

No. Hawaii remains one of only two U.S. states, along with Utah, with no legal form of gambling whatsoever. That means no casinos, no lottery, no sports betting and not even fantasy sports. That could change in the future after some unexpected movement in 2025, but after a committee was unable to reach an agreement, legalization efforts failed.

Interactive Map of U.S. Sports Betting Legalization

Hawaii’s path from unlikely candidate to the potential next state to legalize sports betting 

For decades, Hawaii has been firmly anti-gambling. Culturally and politically, the state has resisted efforts to introduce gaming in any form, citing concerns over potential spikes in addiction, bankruptcy, crime, suicide, child abuse and neglect, divorce, homelessness and the erosion of values. 

The legislative session of 2025 marked the farthest a sports betting bill had progressed. In 2019, a proposal to legalize sports betting died after barely passing one House committee. If HB 1308 had successfully passed this year, Hawaii will be the first state to legalize sports betting without any other gambling options or infrastructure already in place.

With that lack of experience with gambling products, Hawaii was viewed by some as under-equipped to handle the societal impacts, including potential increases in gambling addiction. Hawaii is one of only five states – along with Utah, Idaho, Alaska and Arkansas – that do not allocate any public funding to treat the problem gambling.  

The 2025 surprise legalization twist, then failure

Regarding the reasons cited above, entering the 2025 legislative session, almost no one had Hawaii on their sports betting legalization radar. But things changed quickly.

While Holt's original proposal included a 10% tax rate on sports betting revenue, with a portion of tax revenue directed toward problem gambling support services, and a $250,000 licensing fee for operators (valid for five years), one of the House committee’s stripped these figures to spur further discussion, and it worked. HB 1308 gained early momentum by leaving these key financial figures blank, avoiding political friction, fast-tracking the bill through initial committees. 

The bill passed the House and eventually the Senate (15-10), even amid pushback from several state departments and law enforcement leaders. However, in the final Senate committee, members made amendments to the bill, restoring the original 10% tax rate and $250,000 license fee, while shifting regulatory oversight to the Department of Law Enforcement. These changes led to the bill being sent back to the House for concurrence.

But the House didn’t agree, triggering a conference committee process to resolve differences, an often fragile stage where bills can easily die, and did in this case.

Holt and his fellow proponents argue a regulated sports market will help stamp out the illegal market, which the American Gaming Association estimates brought in around $300 million in illegal bets in Hawaii alone in 2022. According to Holt, as many as 7,100 illegal game rooms operate across the state and are a growing concern – part of what the bill aims to address through increased enforcement funding.

When could sports betting go live in Hawaii?

Hawaii has no existing gambling infrastructure or regulatory body. The 2025 bill assigned oversight to the Department of Law Enforcement or possibly the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, depending on final negotiations, neither of which has experience with gambling operations. An ambitious timeline of summer 2025 had been targeted, but after the efforts came to a halt in the committee, there will be no launch this year.

Legal gambling options today in Hawaii

There are none. Hawaii does NOT offer:

• Casinos

• Lottery

• Pari-mutuel wagering

• Charitable games

• Sports betting

• Daily fantasy sports

This lack of legal options has contributed to widespread illegal gambling activity in the state, particularly online.

How people bet (illegally) on sports today in Hawaii

Despite the legal ban, sports betting still occurs in Hawaii, whether through illegal or gray-area platforms. Residents may currently turn to:

• Offshore sportsbooks: Unregulated and often predatory, these platforms are unfortunately easily accessible via mobile devices.

• Local bookies: Underground operations that pose high risks to consumers and communities.

• Illegal “game rooms” for gambling

Rep. Holt argued that legalization would curb these illegal markets by creating a regulated alternative with consumer protections, fair odds and enforcement against illegal game rooms.

Gambling addiction rates and treatment in Hawaii

HB 1308’s introduction of legalized sports betting would have also brought about funding for addiction treatment programs, by allocating a percentage of gambling tax revenues.

In 2022, the NCPG estimated that 24,000 people in the islands struggle with compulsive gambling. In 2021, NCPG received more than 2,000 calls for help from Hawaii residents seeking treatment for gambling addiction.

If you or someone you know is in Hawaii and is or could be experiencing gambling-related struggles, Birches Health offers virtual care from the comfort of home. You can receive help from licensed therapists who are specially trained to treat gambling addiction. 

Here’s how to get started confidentially with Birches:

• Book an Appointment Online 

• Call 833-483-3838 

• Email help@bircheshealth.com