Daily Fantasy Sports operators cease operations in Hawaii

Honolulu City Prosecutor issued a cease and desist order against DraftKings and FanDuel after Hawaii’s AG stated that DFS operations were illegal in the state.

US.- Doug Chin Hawaii state Attorney General released a statement saying he deems Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) illegal gambling under state law. As a result, Keith Kaneshiro Honolulu city prosecutor issued a cease and desist order urging DraftKings and FanDuel to stop their operations in Oahu.

David Boies, DraftKings’ attorney, stated that the operator would “voluntarily pause operations” in Hawaii even though the company disagrees with Chin’s opinion. FanDuel is yet to issue a statement on the matter.

Truth is, the state’s 1.4 million population makes Hawaii a very small market for DFS operators, which are busy fighting more important battles right now. New York, Nevada or Texas, are markets worth fighting for and DFS operators have displayed an expensive strategy via lobbyists to tilt the balance in their favour in other states.