Hawaii Gov. Josh Green Pledges to Allow Sports Betting, Gaming Bills to Become Law

Posted on: April 23, 2025, 09:54h. 

Last updated on: April 23, 2025, 10:28h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More

Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

• Hawaii Gov. Josh Green says he won’t stop gaming legislation
• The Hawaii Legislature is considering a mobile sports betting bill
• Lawmakers are also reviewing whether to allow casinos

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (D) says he won’t stand in the way of authorizing online sports betting and/or casino gambling in the island state. Of course, the Hawaii Legislature must first come to terms on a bill to allow such gambling.

Earlier this year, House Bill 1308 passed both the Hawaii House of Representatives and Senate. However, the sports betting bill was amended in each chamber during consideration.

Upon the Senate’s return of the amended measure that would allow Hawaiians to place sports bets on their computers and mobile devices, House lawmakers disagreed with the higher chamber’s changes that included a $250K upfront licensing fee and a 10% tax on oddsmakers’ gross revenue.

A special conference committee is forming where appointed members from the House and Senate will try to iron out their differences.

On Tuesday, the Senate appointed Sens. Lynn DeCoite (D-Hana), Jarrett Keohokalole (D-Kailua), and Dru Kanuha (D-Kona) as its conference committee members. The House hasn’t yet appointed its committee representatives.

Governor Won’t Block Gaming Bills

Green, who previously has said he’s impartial on sports betting and casinos, slightly altered that position this week. The governor now says he won’t veto gaming measures.

Green’s comments came several weeks after he reasoned that sports betting, and the possibility of commercial and/or tribal casinos, could help generate state tax revenue that could assist in the building of a new football stadium at the University of Hawaii.

Along with the sports betting conference committee, the Hawaii Legislature is mulling Senate Bill 891. The Senate legislation would establish a “Gaming Working Group” within the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to see how gaming might strengthen the Hawaii economy and help with infrastructure and other state-backed projects.

Look, as long as there are some safeguards with gambling addiction services and so on, if the Legislature goes to the full way and passes it, I’ll likely let it become law,” Green said. “The world’s changing quite a lot and what people said in our survey was if you spend the revenues in a good place like on Hawaiian Home Lands housing or housing for the workforce, a lot of people supported it.”

Hawaii and Utah are the only states that do not allow or have charitable gaming, parimutuel wagering, a lottery, commercial or tribal casinos, racinos, iGaming, or sports betting.

Opposition Remains

There are plenty of lawmakers in the Democratic-controlled state Legislature who continue to work against the gaming bills. One such official is Rep. Andrew Garrett (D-Manoa), who says the state shouldn’t legalize casinos simply to fund a college sports stadium.

That’s not planning,” Garrett said. “When you need a casino to make your stadium pencil out.”

Garrett said the casino study bill isn’t about studying the controversy involved with ending Hawaii’s longtime prohibition of gambling but “scripting the outcome.”

“This isn’t research — it’s a rehearsal,” he declared.

Among the entities lobbying against casinos in Hawaii is Boyd Gaming, the Las Vegas-based gaming firm that caters to locals and lower-end gamblers who prefer visiting off-Strip properties. Boyd has long relied on Hawaii to prop up its casinos and runs the Boyd Vacations Hawaii travel website.