- House Bill 1308 would have allowed legal sports betting and fantasy sports in Hawaii
- Details fail to be finalized prior to May 2 legislative close
- Sports betting study group approved for Hawaii
Legalized Hawaii sports betting came up short this week as House Bill 1308 failed to gain final approval before the end of the current legislative session.
Last month, the prospects of legalized Hawaii sports betting looked positive, as the bill passed through a Senate Committee vote. Having also passed a House vote, online sports betting in Hawaii was on track for an unlikely approval this year.
However, each committee passed slightly different versions of the bill. Therefore, a conference committee to iron out several key details was required. As lawmakers were unable to finalize the bill in time for the May 2 deadline for this year’s legislative session, the dream of online sports betting in Hawaii will have to wait at least another year.
House Bill 1308 Was Most Successful Bill
House Bill 1308 was the furthest any sports betting bill had progressed through Hawaii legislation. Despite several Hawaii sports betting bills that have been proposed in years past, this was the first one to ever pass a committee.
Had the bill been approved, online sports and daily fantasy sports would have been legalized. Four online sports betting licenses would have been up for grabs to offer sports betting in the Aloha State.
Rep. Daniel Holt, the author of the bill, expressed positivity that the bill made it this far while commenting on the details that couldn’t be ironed out.
“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,” he said. “The tax amount, who would operate, who would house the operation of the sports betting and give out the license and licensing fees.”
He continued with hopes of pushing forward with Hawaii sports betting again next year.
“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 have and see if we can capture this tax revenue that we much need for our state.”
“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 have and see if we can capture this tax revenue that we much need for our state.” — Rep. Daniel Holt
Digging further into Holt’s comments, the chambers failed to agree on who would regulate sports betting—the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, or the Hawaii Department of Law Enforcement.
Tax rates were also a sticking point. The House approved Bill 1308 but removed the suggested 10% tax rate and $250,000 in licensing fees. However, the Senate insisted on these figures in their final version of the bill.
Sports Betting Study Group Approved in Hawaii
All was not lost in the progress for Hawaii sports betting this year.
The committees agreed on the creation of a working study group to research the sports betting industry.
“There’s never been a bill that went this far in gaming,” said lobbyist Cliff Laboy when speaking to the Hawaii News Now. “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.”
There are currently 39 states that offer legal sports betting in some fashion. Hawaii, alongside Utah, are the only two states that have a 100% ban on all forms of gambling.
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