Hawaii Sports Betting

Sports betting is illegal in Hawaii, and changing that will be an uphill battle in a state with some of the strictest gambling laws in the country.

Online sportsbooks, casinos, pari-mutuel horse racing wagering, and daily fantasy sports are also illegal in Hawaii. In short, Hawaii betting sites of all types are prohibited.

Lawmakers introduce Hawaii sports betting bills every year, but none of them have made much progress. However, their efforts demonstrate some legislators have an appetite for change.

Legal Hawaii Betting Sites

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21+ and present in HI. T&Cs Apply. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-522-4700.

Hawaii Online Sports Betting Outlook

Legal and licensed Hawaii betting apps are likely still a long way off, but a growing number of legislators have signed onto bills that would legalize online sportsbooks.

Note: The closest alternative to legal sports betting in Hawaii right now is Fliff Social Sportsbook, which operates on a sweepstakes model to offer a form of legal sports gaming with real-money payouts.

In early 2024, Representative Daniel Holt introduced a Hawaii online sports betting bill that progressed further than most past measures when it received a YES vote in the House Committee on Economic Development.

Although HB 2765 died in the Consumer Protection & Commerce and Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs Finance committees, its success up to that point was progress in a state where most sports betting bills don’t even make it to a committee vote. Had it passed those committees, HB 2765 would have moved to the Senate.

The bill sought to legalize online sports betting in Hawaii, establish a licensing process for operators, and give the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism regulatory powers. Holt’s bill also sought to implement the following:

  • A minimum age of 18 to bet on sports in Hawaii
  • Allow sportsbook operators licensed in at least three jurisdictions to apply for Hawaii online sports betting licenses
  • An unspecified licensing fee and tax on revenue

Hawaii began exploring sports betting in 2017 with the introduction of HB 927 to form a commission to examine the social and fiscal aspects of all forms of gaming, including sports wagering.

Even that minor bill failed to gain any traction, but it was just the opening salvo for Hawaii online sports betting. In 2019, twelve representatives co-sponsored HB 1107 to establish the Sports Wagering Corporation to regulate online sports betting and retail sportsbooks.

HB 1107 was vague on certain details, such as tax rates or where sports betting would take place, but it provided a general look into what lawmakers had in mind.

The bill also tasked the Sports Wagering Corporation to adopt the regulations covering various topics, such as:

  • Types of wagers allowed
  • The physical location where sports wagering may occur
  • Forms of payment accepted and prohibited
  • How wagers are graded winners or losers
  • Manner and time of payment
  • Responsible gambling
  • Conduct of the chosen sports wagering operator
  • The sports wagering platform
  • “Any and all other matters necessary” to ensure a successful sports betting operation

Hawaii sports betting efforts still face significant headwinds, but the odds are better today than just a few years ago. A pair of bills introduced in early 2020 further bolstered that sentiment, even though both eventually died in the Senate.

State Sen. Donna Mercado Kim introduced SB 5959 in 2021 to establish a task force that would examine the feasibility of legalizing sports betting in Hawaii and make policy recommendations. That bill died shortly after its introduction.

In 2022, State Rep. John Mizuno introduced HB 1815 and State Rep. Chris Todd introduced HB 1973 to legalize online sportsbooks.

The Mizuno bill proposed establishing the Online Sports Wagering Corporation to regulate sports betting, adopt additional regulations, and select operators. Meanwhile, the Todd bill tasked the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to regulate and implement sports wagering.

HB 1815 was a step in the right direction for Hawaii sports betting proponents, but its 55% tax on all winnings paid to customers demonstrated that lawmakers still have some homework to do. A 55% tax on winnings would have been untenable had the bill passed into law.

On the other hand, the bill also demonstrated Hawaii lawmakers are aware that prohibition isn’t the answer. In its opening statement, HB 1815 explained that tens of thousands of Hawaiians are estimated to bet online with illegal offshore sportsbooks not subject to US regulations or taxes. Therefore, HB 1815 proposed legalizing and regulating online sports betting in Hawaii to protect consumers and collect tax revenue.

HB 1973 called for a more reasonable 10% tax on sports betting in Hawaii, but both bills died before making significant progress. Since then, lawmakers have introduced no additional bills to legalize Hawaii sportsbooks or betting sites.

Hawaii Daily Fantasy Sports Apps

Hawaiians had access to daily fantasy sports sites up until early 2016. In January 2016, then-Attorney General Dough Chin issued an opinion stating daily fantasy sports apps in Hawaii constitute illegal gambling under state law.

Less than two weeks later, Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Keith Kaneshiro issued cease and desist letters to FanDuel and DraftKings. Both fantasy sports operators subsequently exited the Hawaiian market.

State legislators introduced legislation to exempt daily fantasy sports apps from Hawaiian gambling laws immediately following the Attorney General’s opinion but were met with strong opposition from anti-gambling groups. As a result, fantasy sports contests remain prohibited in Hawaii.

Before 2006, Hawaii restricted fantasy sports betting to “social” leagues in which no player received anything of value other than his personal winnings. In addition, league organizers were prohibited from making a profit or charging people to participate; 100% of entry fees had to be returned to winners in the form of prizes.

Hawaii Horse Racing Betting Sites

The Aloha States’ hostility to all forms of gambling also extends to horse racing betting in Hawaii. Pari-mutuel wagering is not allowed in Hawaii, and there are no active horse tracks in operation.

There have been several attempts to authorize pari-mutuel betting and horse racing in Hawaii over the years, but none have made it very far through the legislative process. Bills introduced in 1999, 2000, 2013, and 2015 seeking to legalize pari-mutuel horse racing betting in Hawaii all failed to gain any traction. There is clearly some demand for legal horse racing betting, but the anti-gambling contingent in Hawaii has successfully shut down all attempts to change state law on this issue.

Groups such as the Hawai’i Coalition Against Legalized Gambling (HCALG) remain steadfast in their opposition to any form of gambling coming to Hawaii – including horse racing betting. A strong anti-gambling culture in Hawaii among citizens and lawmakers alike makes it unlikely horse racing betting will be legalized any time soon for Aloha State residents.

Hawaii Gambling Law

Hawaii is not home to any sportsbooks, casinos, poker rooms, bingo halls, horse racing tracks, or even a lottery. In short, gambling in Hawaii is outlawed across the board, except for certain forms of social gambling in which the house takes no profit either directly or indirectly through fees, food sales, entertainment charges, and so on.

State law also prohibits participating in unlawful gambling as a player. Under HI Rev Stat § 712-1223, knowingly participating in “any gambling activity” is a misdemeanor offense.

Hawaii state law defines gambling as follows:

A person engages in gambling if he stakes or risks something of value upon the outcome of a contest of chance or a future contingent event not under his control or influence, upon an agreement or understanding that he or someone else will receive something of value in the event of a certain outcome.

Hawaii interprets its gambling laws as applicable to mobile sports betting, online gambling, and daily fantasy sports, resulting in a lack of online gambling sites for Hawaii bettors. As such, new legislation will be needed to authorize any form of Hawaii online betting.

Hawaii Online Gambling

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There is currently little chance that Hawaii will change its stance on land-based or online gambling. The closest pro-gaming lawmakers came to changing the situation were bills proposed in 2013 and again in 2017. The 2013 bill never got traction, and the 2017 bill suffered a similar fate.

The 2013 effort would have established the “Hawaii Internet Lottery and Gaming Corporation” to conduct, regulate and license online gambling within the state. SB 768 presented a solid case for legalizing online gambling in Hawaii with the following text in its introductory paragraphs:

“The legislature also finds that tens of thousands of Hawaii residents are estimated to participate in illegal online gambling on unregulated internet web sites. These gambling web sites are operated by illegal offshore operators not subject to regulation or taxation in the United States. Questions often arise about the honesty and the fairness of the games offered to Hawaii residents, but neither federal nor Hawaii laws currently provide any consumer protections for Hawaii residents who play on these web sites.

Moreover, tens of millions of dollars in revenues generated from online gambling are being realized by offshore operators serving Hawaii residents, but no benefits are provided to the State. To protect Hawaii residents who gamble on the Internet, and to capture revenues generated from internet  gambling in Hawaii, it is in the best interest of the State and its citizens to regulate this existing activity by authorizing and implementing a secure, responsible, and legal system for internet gambling.”

The bill never gained much support, and it died without further movement.

A 2017 bill introduced by Senate Vice President Michelle Kidani on behalf of Senator Will Espero sought to renew the online gambling debate in Hawaii. Senate Bill 677 would have legalized online gambling, established the Hawaii Internet Lottery and Gaming Corporation, and permitted at least one authorized operator to hold online gambling games in Hawaii. The odds of the bill ever making it into law were known to be exceedingly low from the beginning, and the bill did indeed die before becoming law.

Online gambling may make a third run in Hawaii at some point. The state does has a long anti-gambling history, but at least some lawmakers have shown interest in getting a piece of the tax revenue they know they’re missing out on with people visiting offshore gambling sites.

Hawaii Sports Betting FAQ

No. Lawmakers have tried a few times to legalize sports betting in Hawaii by introducing legislation to change state law, but their efforts have struggled to gain much momentum.

It’s possible, but it doesn’t look likely over the near-to-medium term. Hawaii has a long anti-gambling tradition, and past legislative efforts to legalize sports betting have met overwhelming resistance.

No. Hawaii prohibits sports betting in all its forms.

No. Hawaii prohibits all gambling, sports betting, daily fantasy sports, and social wagers between friends. Hawaii is just one of two states (the other being Utah) with no gambling of any kind.

DratKings is not currently legal in Hawaii.

FanDuel is not legal in Hawaii.

No, BetMGM is not legal or licensed in the state of Hawaii.