Hawaii online sports betting bill heads to Senate floor

The Senate Ways and Means Committee has advanced HB 1308.

US.- A proposal to legalise online sports betting in Hawaii has passed another Senate committee. The Ways and Means Committee moved forward Rep. Daniel Holt’s HB 1308 with amendments by an 11-2 vote. Four committee members voted in favour with reservations. The bill now moves to the full Senate floor for a potential discussion and vote.

HB 1308 already passed the House representatives on a 35-15 vote. It would allow a minimum of four sports betting platforms to be licensed by the state from July 1, 2025. Fantasy sports would also be legalised. The sports betting tax rate would be 10 per cent of adjusted gross sports betting revenues. Approved operators would have to pay a license fee of $250,000, with renewal fees also $250,000.

These numbers could be amended before a full Senate vote, as several lawmakers have said they believed they were too low.

An amendment would see the Hawaii Department of Law Enforcement regulate the market. Initially, the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs would have been the regulator, but director Nadine Ando said during the last hearing that she did not feel her department was best suited for the job. The enforcement of the general excise tax on sports betting would be administered by the Hawaii Department of Taxation.