Illegal game rooms may seem innocuous, with lively video game machines, sometimes accompanied by TVs and other entertainment — a place to relax after a long day at work or perhaps warm up for that next trip to Las Vegas. But, as our communities have seen — to sometime tragic ends — these pockets of gambling lawlessness, operating just below the threshold of detection, have ripple effects, are magnets for crime and can morph into larger, organized enterprises.

So it is heartening to see the Honolulu Police Department, in cooperation with the federal Homeland Security Investigations, identify and serve notices to 60 Oahu property owners who must clear out illegal game rooms or face legal repercussions. A similar undertaking in July 2023 resulted in the cleanup of 62 game rooms. Still, more work must be done to address the roughly 60 illicit locations estimated to be operating on Oahu, from Kalihi to Waianae. That number might come as a surprise to residents, as would their locations, as gambling facilities are not limited to the backrooms of seemingly vacant storefronts or the second-floor suites of small commercial buildings. They are in our communities.

In June, a man was charged with murder, attempted murder and firearms counts after a violent May encounter at a Wahiawa game room. Alize Ou allegedly shot and killed Christopher Miyose and wounded two other men who entered the illegal establishment with intent to commit robbery. The gambling den was being run out of a residence on Walker Avenue, nestled in a quiet community a few steps from a church and an affordable senior housing project.

Maj. Mike Lambert of HPD’s Narcotics Vice Division said the incident illustrates what can happen when owners of illegal game rooms slide along the criminal spectrum. “Businessmen type” operators are mainly concerned with profit, which for a typical game room is conservatively estimated at $1 million a year, but more nefarious individuals are involved in organized crime.

“And, of course, that spectrum is extremely concerning to the community because with organized crime, you’re talking about drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and then, like what we’ve seen in Wahiawa, when there is competition for security, they try to rob each other and that can be fatal,” Lambert said.

Government leaders are rightly taking a tough stance against this communal blight. In July, Gov. Josh Green signed into law Act 249, legislation that expands the definition of conduct that “advances gambling activity,” placing more of an onus on owners and landlords who allow, knowingly or unwittingly, such illegal endeavors on their property. It is hoped that Act 249, and any game room shutdowns catalyzed by its enactment, will be a deterrent in the face of penalties including criminal charges and asset forfeiture.

Executing Act 249 and related anti-gambling measures requires a refocused effort by all stakeholders, from on-the-ground law officers to city planning personnel. To that end, the Honolulu City Council in July approved the creation of a gambling task force comprised of HPD, the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney, Department of Planning and Permitting, Corporation Counsel, the Office of Council Services and the Council itself. With representative specialists on hand, the task force holds great potential to cut through interagency red tape, streamline logistics and pool the appropriate resources to effective regulate game room proliferation.

But community involvement is a nonnegotiable.

During a news conference last week, HPD Chief Arthur “Joe” Logan urged the public to serve as law enforcement’s “eyes and ears” in identifying previously unknown game rooms — and community members must answer that call, remain vigilant and step forward with any and all information; if they see something, say something.

To report information about illegal game room activity, call 808-723-3933 or leave an anonymous tip online at HonoluluCrimeStoppers.org.

A zero tolerance policy is the only way to scrub game rooms from our island. If not rooted out, and quickly, they will spread through our neighborhoods undetected, leaving law enforcement to play its own futile game of Whac-A-Mole.