The House Judiciary Committee today will consider a bill to legalize and regulate sports betting in Hawaii, which is now one of only two states in the nation that has no form of legalized gambling.
Gaming proposals
always stir controversy at the state Capitol, and Gov. David Ige says he opposes legalized gambling, but House Judiciary Chairman Chris Lee said it is time to take up the issue again.
The Supreme Court has ruled that states have the power to decide whether to allow sports betting under state law, and online gambling sites are common, said Lee, D-Kailua-Lanikai-Waimanalo.
“Clearly right now there is a lot of online de facto illegal sports betting going on, so it would be great to hear from law enforcement, from the community and from others how we ought to treat that — whether or not it means regulating it, or making it outright illegal, or legalizing it,” he said.
House Bill 1107 Opens in a new tab, which was introduced by state Rep. Chris Todd, would create a sports wagering corporation to regulate sports gambling in Hawaii. Profits from the corporation would be deposited into a special fund, and that money would be used for state construction and maintenance projects.
The measure will probably trigger opposition from a coalition of groups that has successfully fought off all proposals to legalize gambling for many years. Gambling opponents have cited problems such gambling addiction and crime as problems that would be aggravated by legalization.
Susan Dursin, a member of the state board of the League of Women Voters of Hawaii, said her organization has strongly opposed legalized gambling in Hawaii since 1997.
“I know it can probably be considered a good source of revenue for the state, but on the other hand, the costs of it are immense, much higher than most people and probably most legislators could imagine,” she said.
The Judiciary committee hearing Opens in a new tab begins today at 2:05 p.m. in Room 325.
