Hawaii sports betting bill advances from House to Senate

There are only two U.S. states that have zero forms of legalized gambling (no sports betting, casino, daily fantasy, horse racing, etc.)—Utah and Hawaii. Are the tides about to turn in the Aloha State after a new sports betting bill advanced from the House to the Senate? Will Hawaii residents soon have access to some of the best sports betting apps?

House Bill 1308 explained 

Earlier this month on March 5, House Bill 1308 was approved by the Hawaii House of Representatives by a 35-15 margin. HB1308 would allow the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism the authority to regulate sports betting. The Hawaii House Committee on Economic Development and Technology approved the bill by a narrow 6-4 vote on Feb. 4, 2025. 

If HB 1308 were to pass, it would allow four sportsbooks to operate in the state of Hawaii. Additionally, Hawaii would become the 39th U.S. State to have legalized sports betting. 

Previous Hawaii gambling bills

This is one step further than a Hawaii sports betting bill that was introduced in 2024, House Bill 2765. HB2765 was advanced by the House Committee on Economic Development, however it failed to cross over to the Senate and died. 

There have been several other failed attempts to legalize betting in some form in Hawaii over recent years. In 2023, House Bill 344 (regulation for online sports betting) was defeated. The trio of House Bill 1973 (which specified that sports betting wouldn't be considered games of chance or gambling), House Bill 1962 (legalized casino gambling) and House Bill 1815 (regulation for online sports betting) all failed in 2022. 

Senate Bills 595 and 2571, which both would have created a task force to analyze how much money sports betting could generate for Hawaii, both died at the committee level in 2021 and 2020, respectively. 

Next steps for House Bill 1308

So what is next for HB 1308 after being passed by the House? It now moves on to the state's Senate, and it has some time until Hawaii's 2025 legislative session ends on May 2. For Hawaii residents hoping for sports betting, there's still some pessimism warranted considering HB 1308's companion bill, SB 1569, has stalled. 

Additionally, another gambling bill introduced this year, SB 893 (legalized casino gambling), was "indefinitely deferred" by the Senate after strong opposition.