Hawaii Online Casinos – Gambling in Hawaii
If you want to learn about the latest developments regarding online casinos in Hawaii, you’ve come to the right page. Unfortunately, Hawaii is one of the states that completely prohibited any kind of gambling activity, so there isn’t really any news coming from this constituent US state. Still, some things started changing, and the state moved from the status quo in terms of gambling legalization in 2020, but there’s still a long way to go before we see the first casino open in HI. Here’s a short overview of everything we know about gambling in Hawaii. Read on.
Are Any Forms of Online Gambling Legal in HI?
Right now, there aren’t any legal gambling forms in Hawaii. In fact, participating in gambling activities is considered an offense in the state. Even though many US states have the same law, they still have some workarounds for it, managing to build an entire gambling industry based on those workarounds.
But that’s not the case in Hawaii, as no workarounds were attempted until recently. Even now that we’ve seen some attempts to legalize at least some forms of gambling, it could take years before we see that actually happening.
Namely, up until 2020, Hawaii didn’t need gambling at all. This paradise-on-earth state and its nature are so enchanting that visitors often forget about everything in their lives, including their hobbies, such as gambling. However, things started changing in 2020 with the Covid-19 pandemic, and stakeholders in Hawaii realized that they might be facing a crisis, which is when the idea of gambling came to life. Simply put, visitation dropped by a whopping 75%, and Hawaii officials started exploring alternatives for attracting tourists.
History of Gambling Legislation in Hawaii
There isn’t much to mention here, as gambling has been illegal in Hawaii since the state was created. The only important type of gambling was horse race betting which existed until 1959, thanks to the Hawaiian Jockey Club founded by King David Kalakaua in 1972.
Future of Gambling in Hawaii
The future lights brighter than Hawaii’s gambling past, as there are initiatives to legalize online gambling. Hopefully, we can even see a land-based gambling venue open on a popular tourist destination in the next couple of years. On the other hand, we don’t think any online gambling options will be legalized anytime soon.