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Never say never, but chances are high that HB 2570 doesn’t get passed in Hawaii this year. The landmark bill would’ve legalized sports betting in Hawaii — a state most experts believe is impossible to ever legalize.
May 7 is the final day of Hawaii’s legislative session. That’s when this bill needs to get legalized by. May is a longer than most states do for their legislative periods, but still, time is ticking, and HB 2570 has a lot of progress to make still. Keep on reading, and we’ll give you an honest assessment on where things stand for legal betting in the Aloha State.
What Is HB 2570 Anyway?
Back in early February, the original bill was amended and passed to Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs (JHA) and Consumer Protection & Commerce (CPC). Since then, it’s just been sitting there. Waiting. And waiting. And waiting for any type of action, which has yet to come. We’ll get into that soon, but let’s first backtrack to say what HB 2570 would do besides just legalize sports wagering.
Per the bill, the state would grant six sports wagering operator licenses. The cost of ’em would be an initial fee of $500,000 that lasts five years. From there, licensed operators would be hit with a 15 percent tax on adjusted gross sports wagering receipts.
It is believed some of those licenses would go to top sports betting apps. The names you’re likely familiar with like BetMGM, DraftKings, Fanatics, and so on. Those operators fund a lobbying group called The Sports Betting Alliance. The group spoke in favor of the bill at a prior testimony in front of Hawaii lawmakers.
Just about everyone else who spoke at the same hearing? Opponents of the bill. Strong opponents, too. The attorney general‘s office, Honolulu Police, the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, and the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu all came out against the bill.
The overwhelming belief among the opponents is that sports betting isn’t positive for locals. Sure, the state may get some new tax revenue, but it’ll be at the expense of residents of the island state. Not only will most lose money, some may also fall into a trap of addiction. “This may be the mainland’s idea of revenue generation but it should not be Hawaii’s revenue generation,” was a famous line that came out of opponent testimony.
Since we’re on the topic of addiction, there’s a bettor in Hawaii, who might just have a solution for the state’s biggest worry. More on that in the next section.
An Unconventional Approach To Sports Betting Addiction
Admittedly, this is a mostly unrelated story. But… it’s worth shoehorning here because it is about addiction and it did take place in Hawaii.
CBS News came out with a heartfelt story. The central character is a 32-year-old resident of the state named Buddy Wiggins. He made his living as a pool cleaner and proceeded to give most of it away to a sports gambling addiction. “I finally came to a point where I lost pretty much everything,” he says in the story.
To kick the addiction, he began asking total strangers on Waikiki Beach if they wanted free surfing lessons. The invitations grew before Wiggins had over 100, an organization name, The First Wave Project, and a new mission in life that didn’t involve betting on sports.
Look, we’re not naive enough to think this is the end-all, be-all cure to problem gambling in the state. However, the state can use some betting tax to fund unique programs for bettors who fall into temptation, assuming betting is allowed. But then again, that’s a big assumption, as we get into next.
What’s Next For HB 2570?
We’re currently in the midst of the most important part of the legislative process. As mentioned, it’s inside the committee phase, that’s why we’ve had public hearings with opposing viewpoints. All this debate is meant to amend the bill and shape it accordingly.
But here’s the thing: most bills that get here, die here. Most pieces of legislation are deferred, and some outright killed. A small segment are passed as is (with no changes) or with amendments made. For the last month, we’ve been waiting for perhaps an amendment to be made, but so far, nothing.
If it makes it out of the committee, the bill goes to the entire House. There it will be debated. If passed, great, it goes to the Senate for a similar process. debate, and vote to be held. But if it doesn’t pass the House, then the bill dies then and there. If both sides of Congress pass it, then the final say comes from the state governor.
This is why we think the chances of passing are pretty low. This bill is still in the early stages, a lot is left ahead, and arguably the hardest parts too. If you think it’s being scrutinized right now, just wait until it has to be voted on by House or Senate members. These politicians are judged by what stance they take so it will be a heated conversation.
Ultimately, we just think a polarizing issue like betting (you saw how many opponents came out against it) will need time. It doesn’t have the support to pass in one go. It needs more amendments. It needs better public sentiment. It needs more politician buy-in (literally; from lobbyists).
So if you’re in Hawaii, don’t bank on getting legal sports betting in 2026. For now, betting offshore, or heck, using prediction markets, is your best chance at getting action on sports outcomes.
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