Our Complete Guide to Gambling in Hawaii

Outside of Utah, where the Mormon Church’s conservative views make gambling a sin in the eyes of the state, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a state with gambling laws that are more strict than those in Hawaii.

The tropical paradise is home to beach bungalows and megaresorts, but not a single casino, card room, bingo hall, racetrack or similar gambling venue can be found across the archipelago’s eight islands. The law even prohibits charitable gambling activities overseen by churches and community organizations – games which are rarely targeted even where gambling is under a blanket ban.

As the last state to enter the Union, and one located over 2,200 miles from its nearest American neighbors, Hawaii is a world unto itself. The cultural melting pot there, combined with relative isolation, has created a place where progress seems to move at a slower pace.

For that reason, as states across the country move to relax historically strict gambling laws, Hawaii has stayed firmly rooted in the status quo.

Of course, efforts are always being made to bring Hawaii into the modern ages when it comes to gambling, as highlighted by a 2010 push to legalize casino resorts in Honolulu. But year after year, local lawmakers, lobby groups and concerned citizens push back on the issue, banishing gambling bills to the legislative scrapheap.

Today, visitors to Hawaii will find every source of pleasure in abundance – aside from the joys of casino table games, slot parlors, sportsbooks and poker rooms.

The following page was written as a guide to the intricacies of Hawaiian gambling law, so take a look below to take a tour of the islands’ intricate collection of codes, statutes and other restrictions placed on gamblers.

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Online Gambling and Hawaiian Law

Can I Gamble Online in Hawaii?

When it comes to gambling, Hawaii is decidedly behind the times, so it stands to reason that the idea of gambling over the internet would be similarly stunted.

Indeed, online gambling laws on the islands are practically non-existent – a phenomenon which can be traced to that “status quo syndrome.” Simply put, the original laws written to ban gambling didn’t address the internet, because there was no internet at the time. Therefore, the current laws don’t specifically address the issue one way or another.

You’ll learn more about those laws in greater detail by exploring the set of three questions posed below.

But for now, let’s take a moment to accept reality – Hawaiians are already gambling online, and they’ve been doing so for two decades and running.

The ease of access provided by the internet makes the idea of borders and jurisdictions illusive, and the rise of offshore online gambling sites reaches across the Pacific with ease.

Players in Hawaii need only run a quick Google search for their game of choice – be it casino games like blackjack and roulette, virtual slot machines, poker cash games and tournaments or sports betting – and the screen will immediately light up with sites serving the market. The question of the day, then, isn’t “can I gamble online in Hawaii?,” but rather “where should I gamble online?”

Where Should I Gamble Online in Hawaii?

Unfortunately, the online gambling industry isn’t immune to hucksters and frauds, so you’ll invariably encounter stories about players being cheated, owners absconding with the bank, collusion between grinders and the scourge of unpaid jackpots. By and large, these stories will be true.

Your goal as an online gambling enthusiast living in Hawaii should be bringing your bankroll to the safest, most reliable and reputable sites doing business today.

And fortunately, there are plenty of operators who realize how the game must be played. These sites are run with respect for customers as the main priority – not profit. But how can you tell the schemers from the success stories?

Online gamblers tend to be a vocal bunch. Once one of us gets ripped off or treated poorly by a site, we’ll let the world know about our grievances. Whenever you’re considering a new online gambling platform, the first thing to do is run a thorough search for the site’s name along with red-flag terms like “cheated,” “fraud” and “complaint.”

Because it’s the internet, you’ll always find some good and some bad when searching for anything, so it’s up to you to be discerning and wade through the muck.

Try to stick with the major online gambling review sites (they’ll usually be posted at the top of a Google search), and be sure to compare notes from as many as you can find. If a site you’re thinking about has a high ratio of bad comments and complaints, move on until you find one that players agree does right by the community.

Other aspects of a reputable online gambling site to look for include quick and easy deposit and withdrawal methods (Visa and MasterCard, and virtual wallets like PayPal and Skrill, are your best bets). As you might suspect, sites have no problem letting you put money on, but when it comes time to claim your winnings, several problems can take place.

Always check the review pages for comments about withdrawal issues. The top indicator of a site’s unscrupulous nature is an inability – or unwillingness – to compensate customers who win.

Also On This Page

Is Online Gambling Legal in Hawaii?

That all depends on how strictly you interpret the letter of the law.

Under Section §712-1220(2) of the Hawaii Statutes, gambling is defined 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.”

And under Section §712-1223, gambling is labeled as a misdemeanor criminal action:

(1) “A person commits the offense of gambling if the person knowingly advances or participates in any gambling activity.

(2) Gambling is a misdemeanor.”

Obviously, these laws – which were codified in 1972, before the dawn of the digital age – don’t address online gambling specifically. What they do address, however, does prohibit the act of wagering itself.

Therefore, from a strictly technical sense, gambling in any form – whether it be at a brick and mortar card room or an online casino – is banned by Hawaii’s notoriously strict laws on the matter.

Furthermore, Section§712-1220(5) includes a provision outlawing any devices used to effect gambling:

“Gambling device means any device, machine, paraphernalia, or equipment that is used or usable in the playing phases of any gambling activity, whether that activity consists of gambling between persons or gambling by a person involving the playing of a machine.”

Clearly, this 1972 legal language targets slot machines, roulette tables and other equipment used in casino gambling (as lawmakers at the time couldn’t anticipate the use of computers, laptops and mobile phones to place wagers). Either way, the use of the term “any device” in the entry above would certainly appear to cover the technology of today so long as it is used to facilitate “gambling between persons.”

Finally, in January of 2017 state senator Will Espero (D-19) introduced Senate Bill 677, which sought to legalize and regulate the online gambling industry throughout Hawaii. Espero hoped to see Hawaii follow in the footsteps of Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware – the three states to have successfully used the DOJ’s 2011 Wire Act reversal as the basis for passing online gambling legislation.

Espero’s bill included the following passage, which framed the need for online gambling regulation as a consumer protection issue:

“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 2017 revenues generated from online gambling are being realized by offshore operators serving Hawaii residents, but no benefits are provided to the State.”

Espero immediately labels online gambling as “illegal,” a term which is repeated shortly thereafter in reference to operators. Despite public support for the issue, Espero’s bill quickly died off in the Senate, leaving Hawaii as one of only two states in the Union (along with Utah) which offers no form of legalized gambling whatsoever.

Clearly then, online gambling is far from legal in Hawaii – but that’s the case across the United States with the exception of those three states mentioned earlier.

The real question should be, “Is online gambling illegal enough for authorities to care about my personal bankroll?”

The third question in this section addresses that matter in greater detail, but for now, you’ll be happy to know that recreational players simply looking to place a bet on blackjack or basketball aren’t being targeted.

Just think back to Espero’s bill, which doesn’t hesitate to note that “tens of thousands” in Hawaii are counted as online gamblers. A quick Google search for “Hawaii online gambling arrests” will confirm that the jails and prisons aren’t bursting at the seams, and no special squad is on the lookout for online slot jackpot winners. The authorities know that Hawaiians are gambling online, and even have a rough estimate of how many do so – but they aren’t racing to lock those people up.

Instead, leaders like Espero are working behind the scenes to legalize online gambling across the board. That’s an encouraging sign, and one which strongly suggests that ordinary players who enjoy the occasional online gambling session aren’t subject to any undue scrutiny.

Are Offshore Gambling Sites Safe?

That all depends on which sites you’re talking about.

After all, the online gambling industry is a topsy-turvy world – one in which new sites emerge seemingly every day, while the big boys on the block acquire competitors and consolidate through mergers.

Knowing which offshore gambling platform to park your bankroll with is a major priority for any player, but it’s an especially important step for beginners just learning the ropes. Taking your action to the wrong site can prove to be a disastrous experience, whether from unscrupulous operators refusing to payout, substandard technology that doesn’t ensure a fair game, or even outright cheating.

Just ask fans of poker superstar Phil Hellmuth about UltimateBet, the online poker room he repped back during the poker boom. For years, UltimateBet was considered a viable, reputable member of the industry until a massive “super-user” cheating scandal was exposed in 2008.

In that case, it was an operator of the site – 1994 WSOP Main Event winner Russ Hamilton – who used his access to earn ill-gotten gains, fleecing several high-profile poker pros out of millions because he could see every hole card on the table.

Stories like this are actually quite rare in the online gambling world, but because of their sensational nature, they are widely publicized by the mainstream media. For good reason too, as players everywhere should always be well aware of the risks involved whenever they decide to gamble online.

But these stories can also leave a bad taste for casual players – many of whom have come to believe that all online gambling is “rigged” against them.

In reality, sites like the ones we’ve recommended are all run by well-established operators who have worked diligently to build respected, reputable and reliable companies. For these sites, the short-term gains that may be secured by operating scams and frauds simply can’t beat the steady profit margins attained by the biggest and best online gambling destinations.

Put another way, keeping everything on the up and up is in their best interest – and these sites do everything in their power to ensure that players are satisfied with the platform’s safety and security.

The formation of independent auditors and regulatory agencies like the London-based eCommerce Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance (eCOGRA), Technical Systems Testing (TST) out of Vancouver and several others has strengthened the industry from the inside out. By relying on these services to independently monitor online casinos, sportsbooks, poker rooms and other gambling services, today’s top operators take no chances when it comes to game integrity.

The random number generators (RNGs) used to spin the reels on your favorite virtual slot are routinely tested, video poker variants are studied to ensure they comply with standard odds and every cent of player funds deposited is tracked to ensure separation from operator accounts. Measures like these have made the modern online gambling industry a relative marvel compared to the “Wild West” days of a decade ago.

Every industry has its share of bad apples, and no apologies need to be made for the Russ Hamiltons of the world.

With that said, 2017 is quite a different era when it comes to online gambling. Most of the grifters have been identified and isolated, leaving behind an industry that is largely dominated by professional businesspeople who recognize the importance of keeping their customers content – and coming back for more.

Can I Get Arrested for Gambling Online in Hawaii?

With no laws on the books to address online gambling, local authorities would have little recourse when trying to punish players.

And indeed, the vast majority of police officers and prosecutors on the islands – or anywhere for that matter – have no interest in pursuing victimless “vice” violations like playing a poker tournament over the internet.

Even so, the nebulous nature of many illicit online betting rings can lead to ordinary players being caught up in the dragnet.

On the operations side, the state has been aggressive in targeting online casino and sportsbook owners who ostensibly use their site’s cashflow for money laundering purposes. A pair of high-profile cases in 2013 and 2014 saw two major online sportsbooks raided by a team of agencies working in tandem – including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Homeland Security Investigations (HIS) and the Honolulu Police Department (HPD).

While those investigations were launched to bring down the people overseeing sports betting sites, dozens of players were also arrested and ultimately forced to forfeit significant sums in fines and penalties.

However, the reason these bettors were brought down wasn’t necessarily because they wagered on sports, but rather their involvement with the gambling ring itself. In the modern world of illegal online sportsbooks, sites use a pyramid-like affiliate system in which regular bettors are rewarded for recruiting new customers. Those new players are then invited to participate in the recruitment scheme, earning free bets and other incentives from convincing new bettors to come onboard.

The system was described thusly in a 2014 press release issued by the FBI, detailing the crimes and penalties faced by participants in a multimillion dollar online sportsbook operation:

“U.S. Attorney Nakakuni said that according to law enforcement investigations, in the last several years, dozens of Internet bookmakers have come into existence, many of whom are located in foreign countries where bookmaking activities are not illegal. These bookmakers direct their activities toward bettors in America, who are interested in gambling on American sporting events such as baseball, football, and basketball.

The prosecution identified Felix Gee Wan Tom, age 40, of Honolulu, as the master agent for in excess of 20 agents located primarily on Oahu. As a master agent, Tom recruited, trained, and supervised the agents and provided agents with login credentials (username/password) for use by players to access his Internet sports betting websites. Tom also collected gambling losses from and made payments on gambling winnings to his agents, and split profits with agents. The investigation also revealed that many agents also recruited sub-agents (lower-level bookies or runners), who also had their own client base.”

Dozens of ordinary bettors turned recruiters ultimately pled guilty to the charges of transmission of wagering information and filing false tax returns – before being fined and forced to turn over their winnings, along with property and assets gleaned from their wagering activity.

This fact alone would make the answer to your question in the affirmative, as individuals in Hawaii have indeed been arrested and convicted for gambling online.

With that said, the circumstances of the case above – and several others like it in recent years – have one thing in common: collusion.

Simply put, unless you’re actively working with an online sportsbook or gambling site in some capacity – recruiting new players, participating in affiliate programs, etc. – your chances of reaching the authorities’ radar are slim to none. Players who confine their action to betting alone just don’t seem to bother investigators like those who work to perpetuate – and profit from – online gambling operations.

More Gambling Laws in Hawaii

• Casino Gambling: (Illegal)
• Tribal Gambling: (Illegal)
• Poker: (Illegal)
• Horse Racing Betting: (Illegal)
• Dog Racing Betting: (Illegal)
• Lottery: (Legal with Restrictions)
• Bingo: (Illegal)
• Daily Fantasy Sports: (Illegal)
• Charitable Gaming: (Illegal)
• Social Gambling: (Legal with Restrictions)

As we stated earlier, Hawaii occupies a proverbial “no-man’s land” when it comes to gambling, as it’s the only state aside from Utah that enforces a blanket ban.

Even in the strictest of Northeastern states – places like Vermont where almost all forms of gambling have been banned dating back to the Puritanical age – exemptions are made for industries like a state-operated lottery, or social gambling for the sake of charity.

They aren’t messing around in Hawaii, though. No state lottery system has ever been implemented – or even seriously explored. As usual, public demand for lotteries and other casual gambling sectors is strong on the islands, but they are consistently pushed back on the subject and the status quo has kept in place.

Under Hawaiian law, players have the right to purchase out-of-state lottery tickets when visiting the mainland, but sale of such tickets on the islands is prohibited. Any winnings from such lottery play are then taxed heavily under state law.

That issue was clarified in 2016, when the Attorney General’s office ruled that gambling on mainland lottery programs is akin to playing slots in Las Vegas – and therefore perfectly legal:

“Hawaii residents are taxed on the worldwide income they make, regardless of where they make it. If a Hawaii resident earns income from a job in another state, they must report that income, and the same holds true for winning lottery proceeds.

Money won by a Hawaii resident in Las Vegas or anywhere else in the world where gambling is legal is taxable income and should be reported.”

This had led to a common trend in which Hawaiians band together and send significant sums with somebody heading off-island. Their job is purchase the requisite number of Powerball tickets, or the player’s preferred lotto format, before bringing the cache of tickets back home to be divvied up.

Of course, with no legal lottery apparatus operating in the state, winning tickets scratched off or drawn in Hawaii must be brought back to the mainland to be cashed in.

This is all perfectly legal, but somebody purchasing lotto tickets on the mainland who then re-sells them on the islands would be guilty of Section §712-1220(1) of the Hawaii Statutes, which criminalizes the advancement of gambling activity:

“A person ‘advances gambling activity’ if he engages in conduct that materially aids any form of gambling activity.”

The only other form of gambling in Hawaii that straddles the line of legality is so-called “social gambling” – or the home games many of us grew up watching our parents play. Whether it be bingo or bridge, sports-related contests like “March Madness” brackets and Super Bowl squares or pub poker games which award free pints to the winner, millions of Americans enjoy social gambling as part of their daily lives.

That’s no different on the islands, but under Section §712-1231 of the Hawaii Statutes, social gambling is subject to several restrictions. The law states that social gambling is only considered to be legal when it satisfies all of the conditions listed below:

“(1) Players compete on equal terms with each other;

(2) No player receives, or becomes entitled to receive, anything of value or any profit, directly or indirectly, other than the player’s personal gambling winnings;

(3) No other person, corporation, unincorporated association or entity receives or becomes entitled to receive, anything of value or any profit, directly or indirectly, from any source, including but not limited to permitting the use of premises, supplying refreshments, food, drinks, service, lodging or entertainment;

(4) It is not conducted or played in or at a hotel, motel, bar, nightclub, cocktail lounge, restaurant, massage parlor, billiard parlor, or any business establishment of any kind, public parks, public buildings, public beaches, school grounds, churches or any other public area;

(5) None of the players is below the age of majority;

(6) The gambling activity is not bookmaking.”

This law immediately removes pub poker and similar pursuits from the equation, as social gambling can’t take place in bars, nightclubs or restaurants. The bingo nights used by churches all across the mainland for fundraising are also out.

For all intents and purposes, then, Hawaiian law does ban social gambling – because the letter of the law removes every element that gives gambling its name.

Overall, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more strict set of gambling laws elsewhere in America, which is interesting when Hawaii’s status as a personal paradise is factored in. People flock to the islands from all corners of the planet, looking to let loose and enjoy life untethered, but they arrive to find one of the more repressive gambling regimes around.

Gambling Venues in Hawaii

Unfortunately, this section will be left short and sweet, as Hawaii is home to exactly zero venues for legal gambling.

No casinos, race tracks, bingo halls, slot parlors or lottery distributors can be found on the islands – at least legally speaking. There will always be things such as underground games, as gamblers get their action in away from the prying eyes of authorities – but we simply can’t recommend those.

For now, visitors to Hawaii must remain content with pristine beaches, perpetual sunshine and endless ocean views – and compared to gamblers in Vermont, that’s definitely not the worst deal in the world.

History of Gambling in Hawaii

Hawaii Gambling FAQ

In our experience, diving into the minutiae of statewide gambling laws can create as many questions as answers.

For every new revelation you stumble upon, there remains so much more to learn – especially given the constant tweaks and tinkering that all laws undergo. After our own research and review, we came up with three questions that may be left lingering in the air, and the hope is to answer them with more clarity below:

Additional Resources

We’ve tried to bring readers up to speed on the state of gambling law in Hawaii, but conducting your own outside research is always a helpful exercise.

In that spirit, the four links below should give you a good head start on your own study of the subject, so click away and learn more about how gambling is governed on the islands:

Chapter 712 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes covers “Offenses Against Public Health and Morals,” and Section §712-1220 defines gambling and related offenses.

The Honolulu Star-Bulletin published a series of editorials in 2002, asking if the time had come to legalize gambling on the islands. The question remains unanswered, but often asked, as demonstrated by the 2016 editorial published by the Honolulu Civil Beat calling for a state lottery program to bail out an ailing economy.

The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) is the leading national lobby group working on behalf of the American poker community. The PPA primarily focuses on aiding online poker legislation put forth in various states, and the group provides regular updates on bills like the one introduced by state senator Espero in January.

The Future and Your Views

The movement to legalize and regulate gambling, online or otherwise, is growing throughout Hawaii.

Bills like the one introduced this year by state senator Espero are becoming commonplace, and while they’re still being shot down with consistency, the tide appears to be turning.

Editorials published by the islands’ major newspapers openly wonder why Hawaii isn’t benefitting from a state lottery system. Grassroots organizations like the Maui Poker Association are lobbying on behalf of Hawaii’s poker community, and as lawmakers readily admit, tens of thousands are already participating in one form of online gambling or another despite the current restrictions.

All things considered, the time for gambling reform in Hawaii may be fast approaching, if it hasn’t already arrived.