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Hawaii will not see legal sportsbooks anytime soon. Lawmakers officially ended the effort on Friday when they could not agree on a final version of the sports betting bill.
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A joint conference committee made up of members from the state Senate and House tried to reconcile differences between the two versions. Hawaii law demands both chambers pass identical bills before anything can move forward. Without an agreement, no final vote will happen before the legislature adjourns on May 2.
Had the bill cleared both chambers, it would have landed on Governor Josh Green’s desk. Green had already indicated to local media that he would sign it into law.
The Senate version of the bill proposed a 10 percent tax on gross gaming revenue and a $250,000 licensing fee. The House bill did not include these numbers. Some lawmakers actually pushed to increase the rates even further, causing more friction during negotiations.
If approved, Hawaii would have become the 40th state to legalize online betting and the 32nd to allow statewide mobile wagering. It would have joined states like Tennessee, Maine, Vermont, and Wyoming, all of which offer mobile sports betting without physical sportsbooks.
Plans had already been forming. FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, and Fanatics had all shown strong support for the proposal. Other major brands, such as Caesars, ESPN BET, BetRivers, and bet365, were likely to seek licenses too. Boyd Gaming, known for operating several Las Vegas casinos with heavy Hawaiian customer bases, even confirmed plans to launch its Boyd Sports mobile app if legalization went through.
The bill aimed to license at least four mobile operators. Hawaii sportsbooks would not have needed to partner with existing land-based venues, making the application process simpler and faster. The tax and licensing rates proposed were among the lowest in the country, which many experts argue would have helped attract top operators and foster strong competition.
Even though Hawaii has a smaller population compared to most states, it draws millions of American visitors every year. About three million visitors come from California alone, another state without legal online betting. That tourism factor made Hawaii an attractive market for national operators.
Now, Hawaii stays on the short list with Utah as one of only two states that offer no legal mobile sportsbooks, casinos, horse tracks, or lottery options at all.
Several lawmakers said on Friday that they plan to revisit the issue in 2026, giving supporters hope for a fresh attempt in the next legislative cycle.