Hawaii lawmakers Friday rejected a final version of a sports legalization bill, ending efforts to bring legal sportsbooks to the state this year.
Key Takeaways
- Hawaii's first legal mobile sportsbooks would have launched later this calendar year if approved by full Senate and House.
- DraftKings, FanDuel headlined roughly a dozen operators that would have been interested in the state.
- Hawaii would have been the 40th state to approve legal online betting platforms.
A joint conference committee of Hawaii state Senate and House of Representatives members could not agree to a unified version of the disparate Hawaii sports betting bills that previously passed the respective chambers. Hawaii law requires both House and Senate to pass identical versions of the bill before it can pass into law.
This means there will not be a final vote next week in both chambers. The legislature adjourns May 2.
If passed by both the House and Senate the bill would have gone to Gov. Josh Green’s desk for signature. Green had indicated to local media outlets he would sign the bill.
The Senate version included a 10% tax rate on gross gaming revenue and a $250,000 license fee that were not in the House bill. Opponents of the bill had looked to increase both rates.
Hawaii and Utah are the only states without any legal mobile sportsbooks, casinos, horse tracks or a lottery.
Hawaii would have been the 40th state to approve mobile sports betting and the 32nd to allow statewide mobile wagering. It would have joined Tennessee, Maine, Vermont, and Wyoming among states with a competitive mobile sports betting market but no legal in-person sportsbooks.
Hawaii sports betting details
Hawaii’s first legal sportsbooks would have been set to take their first legal bets before Jan. 1, 2026.
The legislation called for regulators to license a minimum of four mobile sportsbooks. FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, and Fanatics supported the bill and would have been among the likeliest to pursue licensure.
Other national brands including Caesars, ESPN BET, BetRivers, and bet365 could have also sought licensure. Boyd Gaming, which operates multiple Las Vegas casinos with large Hawaiian customer bases, indicated during its corporate earnings call Thursday it would launch its Boyd Sports mobile sportsbook in the state if approved.
The Hawaii gaming revenue tax rates and licensing fees were among the nation's lowest but supporters nationwide have argued these are critical factors that help attract legal books and create a strong, competitive market. Hawaii sportsbooks also wouldn’t have to partner with brick-and-mortar gaming properties, simplifying the licensing process.
Though Hawaii is one of the nation’s smaller-populated states, the Islands sees millions of visits from Americans annually. That includes roughly three million from California, one of the remaining states without legal sportsbooks.
Lawmakers Friday indicated they will try to work on the bill again in 2026.
