Legal Gambling
Hawaii sports betting could be on the table to help the state boost revenue with its lifeblood tourism economy all but at a standstill.
- The states also have differing legal gambling ages, with some states requiring the same minimum age for all types of gambling, while for others, it depends on the activity. For example, in New Jersey, an 18-year-old can buy a lottery ticket or bet on a horse race, but cannot enter a casino until age 21.
- The legal forms of gambling in Massachusetts include land-based casinos, horse and greyhound betting and the state lottery.
With the COVID-19 pandemic keeping many tourists at home, the state faces a projected $1.4 billion budget deficit in each of the next four years.
There are no forms of legal gambling currently offered in Hawaii.
Legal Gambling In The Philippines
Hawaii sports betting bills
SB 595 proposes the creation of a sports gambling task force. The task force would submit recommendations and any proposed legislation during the regular sessions of 2022 and 2023.
HB 736 amends the state’s definition of gambling to exclude “digital” sports betting and deal with it separately. The bill would create a pilot program through the state’s department of business, economic development and tourism to issue licenses for mobile Hawaii sports betting. Findings, recommendations and proposed legislation would be due during the 2022 session.
United States gambling law is governed by three sets of gaming regulations, one each for local, state, and federal entities. Some states have gaming regulations that go back more than two centuries; other states have yet to address major aspects of the industry at all.
HB 850 would legalize and regulate daily fantasy sports in Hawaii, exempting them from current state gambling laws.
Multiple other bills could be in play
Two similar bills in the Hawaii Senate and House of Representatives propose a casino-resort operated by the Department of Hawaiian Homelands.
Funds from the casino would help a waitlist of approximately 28,000 native Hawaiians move back to their ancestral lands.
Other bills in the chambers propose a state lottery and a single casino-resort at the Hawaii Convention Center. One House bill proposes a task force to study the potential of offshore gaming, a lottery and two casinos.
Sports betting largely not included
Bills proposing a lottery, like HB 363 and SB 561, largely prohibit the entity from offering sports betting.
The lottery could offer “games of chance and skill, including lottery, poker and casino games.”
Those companion bills recommend revenue from the lottery head to capital improvements at public schools and the University of Hawaii system, including scholarships and educational loan repayments for medical students who practice in Hawaii.
Additional funds would support watershed protection, and reduction and prevention of problem gambling.
Hawaiian gambling outlook
Nj Legal Gambling Sites
Unless Gov. David Igechanges his mind on casinos, retail sportsbooks are unlikely. If Hawaii sports betting legislation eventually is passed, it will likely be a mobile-only model.
Hawaii has one of the smallest populations in the United States, so the revenue outlook isn’t likely large. With approximately 1.4 million residents, it is about the same size as New Hampshire.
Legal Gambling States List
New Hampshire generated $23.6 million in revenue from sports betting in 2020.
- Casino Gambling: Legal
- Poker: Legal(restrictions apply)
- Horse Racing Betting: Legal
- Dog Racing Betting: Legal
- Lottery: Legal
- Daily Fantasy Sports: Not Specified
- Charitable Gaming: Legal
- Social Gambling: Legal(restrictions apply)
- Online Gambling: Not Specified
Texas gambling law is among the strictest in America. This has to do with tradition, mostly. Texas was settled largely by people with no strong cultural tradition of gambling. In the German-settled areas of Texas (including the present-day capital of Austin), the only form of gambling known was microstakes poker. Unlike parts of New England, there’s no amount of legal gaming in Texas’ history.
When Texas converted from a Union democrat to a conservative Republican state in the 1970s and 1980s, the state’s tendency to shy away from gaming grew into a matter of policy. That being said, some policy changes involving gambling law in the Lone Star State have been successful. Texas is home to one of the most profitable and popular state lotteries. Other big changes in Texas allowed for the opening of not one but two casino-like businesses.
We dug through Texas’ criminal and penal codes and put together some facts about the state’s complex gambling law. We’ve also included some resources for people who want to do some research on Texas gaming law on their own.
Texas has come a long way in terms of the freedom to gamble. Just a few decades ago, Texas didn’t have a lottery, had no charitable gaming laws, no allowance for social gambling, and no casinos. Besides pari-mutuel wagering (and a massive underground illegal sports betting and poker network), Texans had no way to gamble. Fast-forward to today, and Texas is now home to two Class II casinos, a powerful and well-attended lottery, a carve-out for charitable bingo and raffles, and a loophole that sort of (kind of) makes home poker games legal.
Before we dig too much deeper into Texas’ gaming laws, let’s look at some key stats and information about the state’s gaming industry.
- Age Requirements: 21
- Approximate Annual Gambling Revenue: n/a
- Approximate Annual Gambling Taxes: n/a
- Number of Commercial Casinos: 0
- Number of Racinos: 0
- Number of Tribal Casinos: 2 (class II only)
- Casino Regulatory Body: Texas Lottery
- Lottery National Rankings: 4th
Over the past thirty years or so, chaos has reigned in the Texas legislature. This once proud Union democrat state has been totally overtaken by the Tea Party and the religious right. Gaming laws have changed so much in the past few decades, the state’s gaming laws are all but unrecognizable. They’re also difficult to dig through. Below, you’ll find our analysis of the current state of gambling law in Texas. Remember that we aren’t lawyers and we don’t intend this as legal advice. If you need legitimate legal advice about Texas gambling, consult a Texas lawyer with experience in the gaming business.