Page updated Feb. 1, 2012.
House Bill 2422
House Bill 2422 was introduced in the state legislature of Hawaii on January 25th, 2012.
The purpose of HB 2422 is to create a “Hawaii internet lottery and gaming corporation,” which would be authorized to offer “games of chance and games of skill, including lottery, poker, and casino games” on the internet only.
The Hawaii internet lottery and gaming corporation would “not be deemed a state agency” but rather an “instrumentality of the state.” It would be a public corporation subject to the corporate laws of Hawaii, but it would also have clearly enumerated regulatory responsibilities. A seven-member board of directors would be appointed by the governor, the president of the state senate, and the speaker of the state house of representatives. However, the bill envisions that the Hawaii Internet lottery and gaming corporation should have authority to “enter into agreements with other state gaming entities for the offering of multistate games, consistent with state and federal law.”
The Hawaii Internet lottery and gaming corporation would enter into an agreement with a private company to conduct the operation of internet gambling games, and the chosen company would effectively receive a monopoly on the in-state market.
The Hawaii internet lottery and gaming corporation would select its operating provider through a bidding process, and no company would be eligible to become the operating provider if it has ever accepted internet gambling wagers from Americans.
Initially, the chosen operator would not have the ability to offer real money wagers to customers located outside of Hawaii.
House Bill 2316
HB 2316, has been introduced into Hawaii’s legislature which would establish a “Hawaii state lottery commission.” However, HB 2316 would permit the commission to operate only land-based games and not internet games.
Hawaii is presently one of only six states which does not operate a lottery.