Bill Text: HI HR134 | 2024 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Requesting The Department Of Business, Economic Development, And Tourism To Study The Potential Effects Of Legalizing Sports Betting.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-03-14 - Referred to ECD, FIN, referral sheet 22 [HR134 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2024-HR134-Introduced.html

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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	134
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2024
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting the department of business, economic development, and tourism to study the potential effects of legalizing sports betting.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, on May 14, 2018, the United States Supreme Court reversed a decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, effectively allowing states to authorize sports betting; and

 

     WHEREAS, since this ruling, thirty-eight states have legalized sports betting; and

 

     WHEREAS, tens of thousands of Hawaii residents wager on the outcome of sporting events through illegal websites that are not subject to regulation or taxation; and

 

     WHEREAS, it is estimated that online gambling by Hawaii residents generates tens of millions of dollars for gambling organizations without any benefit to the State; and

 

     WHEREAS, West Virginia, a state with a similar population to Hawaii, collected more than $2,800,000 in taxes in the first year after legalizing sports betting; and

 

     WHEREAS, legalizing and regulating sports betting can reduce issues of underage betting and ensure that proper consumer protections are in place; and

 

     WHEREAS, numerous studies have found associations between sports betting and damaging behaviors, such as problem gambling; and

 

     WHEREAS, according to the National Council on Problem Gambling, two million adults in the United States have a severe gambling problem; and

 

     WHEREAS, some states that have legalized sports betting have experienced substantial increases in the amount of gambling addiction hotline calls; and

 

     WHEREAS, the State must consider the potential benefits and consequences of sports betting in order to make an informed decision on its legalization; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2024, that the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism is requested to study the potential effects of legalizing sports betting; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2025; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Sports Betting; Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Study