Hawaii state Rep. Daniel Holt last week filed a legal mobile betting apps but no brick-and-mortar operations in a state that currently allows no gambling and doesn’t even have a state lottery.
The bill was filed Jan. 24, the deadline for legislation to be introduced, and Friday was assigned to the House Economic and Business Development Committee. The bill is one of a handful of gambling proposals filed so far this session in the Aloha State.
Also on Friday, a Senate bill that would allow for a monopoly ed first reading. SB 3376 would allow for one operator to offer digital sports betting and online poker, but no casino games. That bill sets a $50,000 licensing fee and would set the tax rate at 70% for the first year, declining to 5% by the 14th year. State lawmakers are also considering a bill that would regulate and tax fantasy sports.
The House sports betting bill, Betr could apply.
Tipico is currently live in Indiana. The company won’t renew its temporary license in Massachusetts.
Wagering hasn’t previously gained traction 2e1w49
Holt’s bill calls for the state’s revised statutes to be amended to change the definitions of “games of chance” and “gambling” to allow legal betting. Most states define sports betting as a game of skill, though a small group, including Nebraska, classifies wagering as a game of chance.
While the bill does not set key rates for taxes and licensing fees, it does say that licenses would be valid for three years and would allow wagering s to be funded by credit cards, among other methods. It would also prohibit employees of wagering companies to bet on their own company’s platform.
The vast majority of legal wagering states have set the minimum age at 21, and Hawaii lawmakers will likely Kentucky, New Hampshire, and Washington, D.C., have set the age at 18.
Hawaii lawmakers have entertained the idea of legal wagering on and off since at least 2021, when a bill that would have allowed for sports betting under a pilot program was filed. In 2022, a legal betting bill that would have set the tax rate at 55% was filed. Neither gained any traction.
The Hawaii State Legislature adjourns May 3 and the crossover deadline is March 7.
