Hawaii senator introduces online gambling bill

ii senator, Will Espero, has recently filed bill number SB677, which would legalise online poker in the state.

In the minority of states in the US, Hawaii doesn’t have any land-based gambling establishments.

However, Espero states that ‘tens of thousands’ of Hawaiians are sending ‘tens of millions’ of dollars out of the state by gambling online illegally via unregulated offshore sites.

The new bill would also establish the Hawaii Internet Lottery and Gaming Corporation, and would also direct revenue from internet poker to public schools and the University of Hawaii system, among other programs.

Although the bill would permit a wide array of casino games to be played online across the state, internet sports betting would remain outlawed. The bill also states that players must be at least 19 to gamble online.

The new legislation would allow Hawaii to enter into partnerships with other states for the online games and as well as bolster the state’s tourist offering through “land-based gaming entertainment events.”

Other states considering the introduction of online poker in 2017 include New York, California, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Washington State. Boasting 12 brick-and-mortar casinos, Pennsylvania is considered the front runner to legalise and regulate online casino gaming.

However, should the Trump administration reverse a 2011 re-interpretation of the 1961 Wire Act which allowed individual states to introduce internet gambling, all this legislative planning could be rendered futile.