HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – On the eve of Super Bowl week, Hawaii lawmakers are taking serious look at legalizing online sports betting.

Supporters say taxes on the business could be used to pay for gambling addiction programs and a crackdown on illegal betting.

Rep. Daniel Holt, a Kalihi Democrat, has proposed several gaming bills over the years, but Hawaii remains one of only two states with no legal gaming allowed.

But Holt says online sports betting is already everywhere in the community and the state should get a piece of the action.

“These people are already out there sports betting through illegal methods,” he said. “This would be an avenue for us to collect the tax revenue.”

The bill was supported by labor. Cody Sula spoke for the Iron Workers Stabilization Fund.

“I know people whose already gambling or wagering or whatever they do on their phone, but the money is not staying here its going elsewhere,” he said.

At Friday’s hearing, no one opposed HB 1308 in person.

The Honolulu Police Department submitted its concerns in writing and Boyd Gaming, known for Las Vegas junkets, said sports gaming taxes don’t bring in the money that’s promised.

But the online gaming industry, including Jeremy Limun, BET MGM government affairs director, says they provide a safe alternative to offshore outlaw sites.

“While advertised as ‘social sports books,’ these platforms are anything but,” Limun said, “and run multimillion-dollar marketing campaigns, including through social media and celebrity influencers, that often target teens and young people.”

The bill would put money from a gaming tax toward enforcement of illegal gambling and gambling addiction programs.

Holt says the mainstream platforms like MGM and Draft Kings use technology to keep players from losing more than they can afford.

“There’s a lot of verifications you need to go through,” he said. “Illegal market there are no verifications, and you’re often afforded credit that you may not be able to come up with if you lose.”

In a statement, Gov. Josh Green said he “supports careful exploration of sports wagering in Hawaii, provided that proper safeguards are in place to prevent abuses.”

Holt responded, “I appreciate the governor and the administration having this discussion and taking a serious look at the bill.”

The House Committee on Economic Development and Technology voiced unanimous support, including Republican Minority Leader Lauren Matsumoto, who said she changed her vote from no to yes, with reservations.

“I just want to make sure were looking at the guardrails that we put in the regulations we put in as we move forward,” she said.

It’s a little early to place a bet that the bill will get all the way through. It still faces review by two more House committees, the full Senate and the Governor before it becomes law.

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