Despite a flurry of proposals, gambling debate gets no traction this legislative session
Published: Feb. 17, 2022 at 10:10 PM HST|Updated: Feb. 18, 2022 at 12:04 AM HST
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A multitude of bills aimed at legalizing gambling in Hawaii died at the legislature on Thursday — with many failing without so much as a hearing.
One proposed bill would have provided half a million dollars to the Department of Hawaiian Homelands to study how much money a casino could bring into the state.
Critics of the bill testified that gambling would be a “gateway” to other illegal activity and said that the money could better the community in other ways.
Other bills that died would have legalized sports betting.
Despite the measures failing, many of them are likely to resurface in the next legislative session.
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