Hawaii will continue to be free of legal sports betting and all other types of gambling for at least another year. 

Had you been able to wager on the result of House Bill 1308, a measure to permit, oversee, and tax online sports betting in Hawaii, most experts would have placed their bets against the island state sending the bill to Gov. Josh Green’s (D) desk for approval. 

Hawaii legislators have continuously debated gaming bills in almost every legislative session during the last ten years without success. What initially appeared to be a certainty that no gaming bills would gain support before the Legislature gathered in Honolulu changed significantly as HB1308 advanced through the House of Representatives and Senate. 

Both chambers eventually approved HB1308, but the numerous alterations made by each side resulted in a special conference committee being formed to seek consensus. On the last day of the 2025 session, the committee disclosed its position — no agreement had been achieved. 

Gaming Continues to Be Suspended 

While Hawaiians must wait at least another year to legally place a sports bet, the progress of HB1308 nearing completion serves as a significant unifying point for supporters of gaming.

"There’s never been a bill that went this far in gaming,” said Cliff Laboy, a lobbyist who fought to get HB1308 passed. “Get the task force, go out there, find out, study, do your due diligence, come back, go back to the table and figure out which way you want to go. Hawaii needs something like this. There’s no other way unless the legislators can come to the general public with a plan on how we’re going to bring new money into the state.”

Senate and House legislators disagreed on the type of tax rate and licensing fee to impose on sportsbooks. They also had differing opinions on whether recognized Native Hawaiian organizations, as established by the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, ought to receive preferential treatment in the bidding for online sports betting contracts. 

The stalemate ensures that Hawaii stays devoid of any type of legal gambling. In addition to sports betting, Hawaii neither has nor permits tribal or commercial casinos, parimutuel wagering, lotteries, charitable gaming, fantasy sports, iGaming, or racinos. 

Gaming Rivals Commemorate 

The regulatory variations within the Legislature were not the sole reason for HB1308's failure. Numerous state legislators opposed the legislation due to worries that legal sports betting would increase rates of problem gambling and lead to societal issues. 

State Rep. Lauren Matsumoto, the Republican Minority Leader, stated that a thorough study on sports betting should be finalized first.

"It’s more prudent for us to do the study first than it is to just pass the bill,” Matsumoto said, adding that she heard from many constituents in opposition of the measure. “Once you have that toehold, that leads to the foothold that could lead to casinos. I think it’s important for us to tread cautiously, because once you open that up, there’s no taking it back.”

Les Bernal, one of the leading anti-gambling activists in the country and head of the Stop Predatory Gambling Foundation, stated that permitting sports betting in Hawaii would unleash a surge of gambling. 

“If you bring in online gambling, you’re opening a Las Vegas casino in every home, every bedroom, every dorm room, and every office that has an internet connection,” Bernal said. “This is the fifth state this year that said no to expanding online [sports] gambling because they’ve seen what happens to other states.”

“It’s a public policy disaster,” Bernal concluded.