There have been small glimpses of hope that change is on the horizon, in 2019 a bill was introduced to the local government that would allow Hawaiians to participate in national lottery draws such as Powerball and Mega Millions. The idea of Hawaii turning into a holiday destination for gambling is a nightmare scenario for many local leaders.

Politicians on the island are obsessed with the idea of holding onto traditional Hawaiian values and vehemently resist approaches from private companies and foreign investors trying to wriggle their way in. The primary reason is the opinion of the local gerontocracy – the longstanding politicians who are mostly elderly hold onto the position that gambling reform would bring the wrong kind of people to their shores. The resistance to gambling reform is deeply rooted in Hawaii, as if it weren’t the luxury holiday island would have been transformed into a gambling oasis long-ago. Lost tax revenue through these gambling activities is a core component of the argument in favour of legalization, especially concerning the lottery where money raised in mainland states from lottery is used to fund socially benefiting projects and local charities. Anybody with an affiliation and understanding of what life is like on the island will know that despite gambling being outlawed, there are plenty of opportunities to make bets and participate in betting in one form or another. As a result of the state’s laws, you won’t find the legal Hawaii gambling age anywhere on this pageĮvery year there is huge debate sparked by the release of statistics highlighting just how severe the outflow of capital is from Hawaii due to residents engaging in illegal and unlicensed gambling.

Throughout this short round-up of Hawaii’s gambling laws we’ll touch on the reasons for the tough stance they have adopted, and investigate some potential inroads towards future gambling regulation in the Aloha State. Given these seemingly insurmountable circumstances, it is quite plain to see that along with Utah, these two states are clearly some of the least accommodating places for a gambling industry to exist. Every single form of gambling, even the tamest and least costly forms such as lottery and bingo are outlawed by the deeply anti-gambling Hawaii legal code. As it currently stands Hawaii is just one of two states in the entire country to completely outlaw all forms of gambling.

Is online gambling legal in hawaii