What You Need to Know About Poker Legislation in Hawaii – Hawaii Army Weekly

Though Hawaii is considered one of the worlds top destinations, many locals actually find themselves traveling to the mainland specifically, Las Vegas. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitor Authority reports that about 300,000 passengers fly from Hawaii to Sin City each year. Hawaiian residents are willing to pump millions of dollars into Nevadas economy because of one key thing: the casinos.

Hawaii doesnt have a single casino. In fact, tourists will discover that there arent even any poker rooms in the state, and this is because of the islands stand on poker itself.

Out of the 50 U.S. states, Hawaii is one of the two states that doesnt allow any form of organized gaming. This means that tourists wont find any race tracks, sports books, casinos, poker rooms, or even lottery sites across the islands.

But given that numerous Hawaiians fly out to Las Vegas for casinos, its no surprise that legislators have tried to legalize poker within the islands. Just last year, legislators pushed for the House Bill 383, which would have created a state commission for overseeing live poker rooms. Other legislators also tried to pass the House Bill 772, which would have permitted the establishment of a casino in the Hawaiian Convention Center, therefore allowing tourists to play live poker. However, these bills were deferred, so residents and tourists in Hawaii have to observe current prohibitions on poker and other forms of gaming.

Hawaii isnt the only state thats struggling to pass bills for both live and online poker. This list of poker legislation across the country shows that just over half of US states allow live poker while only six permit online poker, proving that Hawaiis strictness isnt isolated. Though several states are firm about gaming, lawmakers still make an effort to submit bills that can legalize either live or online poker within their own jurisdictions. As such, fans of poker can look into Hawaiis local legislation every year to check if you can finally play poker within the state.

How Can You Play Poker in Hawaii?

Due to Hawaiis firm stand on poker, its no wonder that Hawaiians often fly out to get a chance to play live poker. Boyd Gaming Corporation has even started to call the desert city the ninth island of Hawaii because of the number of Hawaiians that are drawn to Sin Citys casinos.

While youre free to fly to other states to play a game of poker, there are still a few ways to enjoy the game within Hawaii.

The state laws may prohibit organized gaming, but residents can still participate in social poker games. You can meet up with your friends and loved ones to play poker, as long as the game isnt held in a public establishment like a hotel or a restaurant.

If you want to play on your own, action-adventure games and other popular video game genres feature poker as a side challenge for players. Action-adventure video games have a strong emphasis on storylines, so games like Grand Theft Auto V and Watch Dogs feature mini poker games that allow in-game characters to carry out their missions or even win prizes.

Despite the number of locals who enjoy casino games like poker, it looks like Hawaiis strict regulations on gaming will continue. As such, poker fans in Hawaii may need to wait a little longer for poker legislations to be submitted and approved so that they can finally play and enjoy poker (and much more) in public.

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What You Need to Know About Poker Legislation in Hawaii - Hawaii Army Weekly