Hawaii is one of only six states in the U.S. that fail to offer residents a lottery. Sen. Espero recently introduced SB.677 that addresses the issue of legalizing online gambling. He claims that a significant number of residents in Hawaii resort to illegal gambling or risk their money in unregulated offshore casinos when the state could potentially earn tens of millions of dollars if it were to introduce some form of regulated gambling.
The
senator’s bill proposes to create the Hawaii Internet Lottery and Gaming
Corporation to regulate gambling and protect consumers, as well as ensure that
the state benefits from revenue. SB.677 is a 28-page bill in which Sen.
Espero proposes to legalize online casino gambling, poker, and lottery games.
The state will also look at entering poker compacts with other states, just
like Delaware and New Jersey who have started sharing player pools. Sports
betting is not a part of the bill.
SB.677 also proposes the introduction of gambling events to be held in brick and mortar establishments under the supervision of the Internet Lottery and Gaming Corporation at least twice a year, which is obviously aimed at targeting tourists.
