Time running out for Hawaii sports betting bill after House rejection of amendments
The House has sent the bill to a conference committee after rejecting an amended version passed by the Senate.
US.- The Hawaii House of Representatives has refused to accept Senate amendments to HB 1308, sending the proposed legislation to a conference committee to resolve differences. Hawaii’s legislative session runs until May 1, leaving little time for an agreement.
HB 1308 passed the House Representatives on a 35-15 vote in March and was approved by the Senate Ways and Means Committee, with changes. It would allow a minimum of four sports betting platforms. 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. Renewal fees would also be $250,000.
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 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.
Governor Josh Green has said that he would support the bill as long as lawmakers included adequate protections, but if an agreement is not reached by May 1, the proposal to legalise online sports betting in Hawaii will have to wait until the next legislative session.
Hawaii is one of the few US states with no form of legal gambling. In February, the Hawaii State Legislature indefinitely deferred Senate Bill 893, which aimed to legalise casino gambling in the state. The decision followed strong opposition from various state agencies.
