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Hawaii remains one of the most difficult states to do any form of legalized betting. Difficult cause it’s literally impossible.
There is no sports betting in Hawaii. No casinos. No bingo. No lottery. Hell, there’s not even bingo. Hawaii literally has no forms of betting available. This puts it with Utah as the only two states without any type of gambling whatsoever within their borders.
But… unlike Utah, it seems Hawaii is at least considering it. That was the case earlier this year when a sports betting bill was kicked around in the state. It didn’t pass, but just getting it discussed was a big, big feat.
Could that be laying the groundwork for a bigger legalization push in 2027? Maybe. Let’s cover it in this article.
Hawaii Finally Got A Real Sports Betting Bill
House Bill 1308 pounded the Hawaii legislature like a hurricane that the islands are largely known. Pounded because, unlike previous gambling proposals in Hawaii, this one actually had legs.
The bill survived multiple committee hearings, passed the House, and even made it through the Senate with amendments. That alone made it the furthest-reaching sports betting bill Hawaii has ever seen.
The bill would have legalized online sports betting across the state. Up to four sportsbook licenses would have been available, opening the door for top sports betting apps like BetMGM, DraftKings, and FanDuel. The bill strictly focused on sports betting — there was no casino component.
However, the bill ultimately fizzled out. Why, though?
Ironically, lawmakers weren’t really fighting over whether sports betting should exist. Instead, they got bogged down negotiating the minute details. Everything from the tax rate to licensing fees to which state agency would regulate the industry became a sticking point. At one stage of the legislative process, lawmakers even stripped those financial figures out of the bill altogether because they couldn’t agree on what the final numbers should be.
That created a problem when the House and Senate eventually had to reconcile their different versions of the legislation. The bill was sent to a conference committee, where lawmakers attempted to hammer out a compromise before the legislative session expired. They never got there. Without an agreement before the deadline, the proposal simply ran out of time.
As disappointing as that was for legalization supporters, there’s another way to look at it. The bill didn’t die because nobody wanted to discuss sports betting. It died because lawmakers couldn’t agree on the framework. In the next section, we’ll explain why that’s a good thing long-term.
Why 2027 Has More Potential
Historically, sports betting bills usually don’t make it this far on their first serious run. At least that’s been the case in other states.
More often than not, lawmakers spend a year introducing everyone to the idea, airing concerns, and figuring out where the sticking points are. The second attempt is often the cleaner one because everybody already knows what they’re negotiating by then.
Hawaii now has that luxury. Legislators already know the biggest obstacles are the tax rate, licensing fees, and oversight. Those aren’t small issues by any means, but they’re a lot easier to solve than convincing an entire legislature to embrace sports betting from scratch. So effectively, the debate has moved past, “should we do this?” and toward, “how should we do this?”
There’s also another factor working in legalization’s favor: money. Hawaii lawmakers are constantly looking for new revenue sources without asking residents to pay higher taxes. Sports betting isn’t going to magically solve the state’s budget, but hey, it could become a brand-new stream of tax revenue, and every dollar helps.
So while things are progressing, none of this means a bill is destined to pass in 2027. Like we said at the start, Hawaii is one of the least pro-betting states there is in America. Changing that takes time — no matter if taxes or regulation agency stuff is sorted out. And this change will have to be with the Hawaiian people, too.
Winning Over Hawaiians Won’t Be Easy
Let’s say lawmakers iron out all the betting details next year. That’s great, but they’ll still have one giant hurdle left: convincing the people of Hawaii this betting thing is a good idea.
Community opposition to betting remains big, and we saw that during hearings on House Bill 1308. Back then, a who’s-who list of people and groups came out against the bill, including the Honolulu Police Department, the Hawaiʻi Christian Coalition, the Hawaiʻi Family Forum, Stop Predatory Gambling, social service organizations, and dozens of individual residents.
The common thread between all of them was simple: legal sports betting would create more problems than it solves. Testimonies from those groups repeatedly warned that allowing betting from a smartphone would make gambling available virtually anywhere, increasing the risk of addiction, financial hardship, and ultimately, family problems.
That’s why 2027 probably won’t be won or lost over tax rates or licensing fees. It’ll be won in the court of public opinion. If sports betting supporters want to finally get this across the finish line, they’ll have to convince Hawaiians that a regulated market is better than the illegal ones that already exist (and serve Hawaiians under the table).
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