Hawaii Sports Betting Bill Comes Up Short, Supporters Vow to Try Again in 2026

^{Rep. Daniel Holt announced last week that the sports betting bill he introduced will not pass in 2025. (Image: Instagram)}

A bill to legalize sports betting in Hawaii came up just short at the final hurdle, dying on April 25 as the final day of the state’s legislative session came and went.

HB 1308, which was introduced by state Rep. Daniel Holt (D-Honolulu), would have allowed for a minimum of four operators to set up online sportsbooks in the site.

Senate, House Can’t Agree on Key Details

Any gaming bill faces an uphill battle in Hawaii, which (along with Utah) is one of just two states in the USA that doesn’t authorize any forms of legalized gambling. But while other legislation aimed at pursuing land-based casinos in the state was rejected, the sports betting plan found significant support in the state legislature this year.  

But it was a different story for HB 1308. The sports betting bill passed through the House of Representatives by a comfortable 35-15 margin in March, then survived a closer 15-10 vote in the Hawaii Senate in April. Governor Josh Green even said he would likely sign the bill if it reached his desk. 

But the House and Senate versions of the bill differed in a few key areas, requiring a conference committee to work out those differences. And with the conclusion of the legislative session, it became clear that it wasn’t going to happen in 2025.

“We just haven’t come to an agreement on the details with number of operators, tax rate, fees and those kinds of things,” Holt told KHON 2 in Honolulu. “And there’s still some kind of questions left unanswered by some of the members who have concerns about sports betting.”

The Senate version of the bill had more specific revenue figures, setting a 10 percent rate on gaming revenue and a $250,000 up-front licensing fee for operators. The House version intended to leave those figures up for negotiation with individual operators instead. In addition, the two versions of the bill differed in terms of what governmental department would oversee gambling: the Hawaii Department of Law Enforcement or the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.

Supporters, Opponents Prepare for Another Gaming Fight in 2025

But even if those differences are sorted out in the future, it’s unlikely that the opposition to gambling in Hawaii will go away anytime soon. And even many who aren’t definitively against the bill say that they felt things were moving a little too fast this year.

“I think it is where it should have been – right here, dead,” Hawaii Sen. Lynn Decoite (D-Maui), who introduced the bill in the Senate despite her opposition to legalized gambling, told KHON 2. “So that we can come up with the right information to make better sound decisions on whether this is what the community wants.”

But with the bill getting as far as it did this year, Holt is confident that sports betting will get another look in 2026.

“You know, we’ll give it another try next year, and we’ll see how it goes,” Holt said.