Hawaii Getting Tough on Illegal Gambling

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Monday, November 27th, 2017 | Written by Shane Larson

Hawaii continues to be just one of a handful of US states that do not offer any type of legalized gambling, and in recent months has been clamping down on anyone trying to flaunt its strict anti-gambling laws. Highlighting its strict anti-gambling stance, this week, the country subsequently turned its attention towards those video games which allows micro-transactions using real money, and in particular the new Star Wars-themed release.

As a result, an investigation has now been launched against its developer Electronic Arts, and announcing the development today, Hawaiian Democrat Rep. Chris Lee called the “Star Wars: Battlefront II” game “a trap” designed to lure kids into spending money.”

Strict Anti-Gambling State

Currently, there are around seven US states that do not offer any form of commercial casino gambling, namely Utah, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Florida, Tennessee, Alaska, and the District of Columbia. Furthermore the first two states mentioned on the list are the only two which forbid any type of legalized gambling at all.

While Utah has one of the highest religious populations in the country, helping to explain why it does not participate in the industry, Hawaii, on the other hand, has objected to gambling because it does not want to alter its traditional culture. Yet, even Hawaii, with its unique heritage, has begun considering gambling over the last few years in order to handle the increasing costs of living, and budgetary deficit concerns. While there is hardly any discussion concerning land-based casinos in the state, some members of the Hawaiian legislature have begun discussing the potential offered by regulated online gambling.

That said, there’s been no significant steps made in this direction, and in fact, it seems that the more time that goes by, the more Hawaiians are fighting back against any illegal gambling that may be taking place on the island paradise.

Tourist Destination

As gambling becomes an increasingly prominent industry worldwide, Hawaii has not been free from illegal operators trying to get in on the action and set up dens in contravention of current state laws. This has made the island even keener on preserving its image as a high-end, gambling free destination for tourists.

Highlighting its concerns, earlier this year, authorities in Honolulu said that there were more than 100 illegal gambling places on Oahu, the state’s third largest island, and that they were working harder than ever to increase enforcement efforts in order to break up these establishments. Consequently, there have been numerous raids on such game rooms across Hawaii in recent times, which authorities have emphasized are not providing harmless forms of entertainment, especially when vulnerable people are involved, and can negatively affect Hawaiians of all socioeconomic levels and age ranges.

Arrests

As recently as September, 35 people were arrested on gambling charges. In the meantime, landlords that allow people to gamble in their buildings, alongside people who work in these establishments, are faced with the prospect of being hit with felony charges, while those who are caught playing at these establishments could face misdemeanor charges.

Legislative Efforts

Every couple of years, a few legislators may get together to try and lobby for regulated gambling and casinos in Hawaii, which they see as a way of earning more revenue for the state, which could also be used to then support the environment. They argue that this in turn will help attract more people to the island, especially those from the Asian Pacific region. Meanwhile, many Hawaiians are known to visit Las Vegas on vacation, and so launching a domestic gambling industry is touted by certain legislators as a means of ensuring that this money is therefore spent within the state.

Nonetheless, the majority of Hawaiians and legislators seem to oppose the idea totally, and a bill (SB.677) which was introduced by Hawaiian State Senator Will Espero in January 2017 unsurprisingly failed to attract any significant level of support. That said, there continues to be sporadic talks of legalized gambling on the islands, and until a proper bill is established, the recent upsurge in illegal gambling dens on the island, and there subsequent closures by police are likely to keep on making the headlines for some time to come.