Hawaii lawmakers looking to legalize sports betting and online gaming

Legalized sports betting and online gaming is on the agenda in Hawaii, with a number of bills proposed by lawmakers in the island state. 

Bill SB1572 looks to establish the Hawaii State Sports Wagering Commission and legalize sports wagering in-person at retail sports betting locations and online, requiring licensees to offer sports wagering in no less than three jurisdictions in the US. 

The tax rate mentioned in this bill is 15% of the adjusted sports wagering receipts.

In total, 50% of this would go to public education programs, 20% to fund affordable housing initiatives, 15% to fund responsible gambling programs and 10% for the general fund for administrative costs. 

HB1308 and SB1569 are two other bills that have been proposed related to the regulation of sports wagering, though there are some slight differences between the pair and SB1572, one of those being that they only include a tax rate of 10% of the adjusted gross sports wagering receipts. HB1308 and SB1569 also don’t appear to mention retail sports wagering. 

These come after SB373 was proposed last week which looks at establishing an online fantasy sports contests registration and monitoring program. 

Good to know: Hawaii is one of two states in the US, alongside Utah, which prohibits any form of gambling 

Further to these bills related to sports wagering and fantasy, SB1507 has this week also been proposed, which would establish the Hawaii Lottery and Gaming Corporation to conduct and regulate wagering and gaming, such as games of chance and games of skill, including lottery, poker and casino games, but it does not include sports wagering. 

With the new year now in full swing, there has been an abundance of activity relating to the legality of different forms of gambling throughout the US. 

Just to give some examples from this week, New York Senator Joseph Addabbo has introduced a bill in an effort to officially legalize iGaming for casinos, video lottery terminal facilities, online sports betting operators and Tribes within the state. 

Meanwhile, a proposed iGaming bill in Virginia has been put on hold until likely next year in an attempt to undertake more study into the matter, while in Connecticut, lawmakers will consider a bill that would legalize in-flight sports wagering. 

Ciaran McLoughlin

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