Hawaii sports betting bill set for conference after new disagreement

Hawaii’s efforts to legalize online sports betting have stalled slightly after members of the House voted to disagree with the Senate-approved version of HB 1,308. 

Despite being passed by the Senate on April 8 via a vote of 15-10, the bill, which would also legalize fantasy sports, has not been granted the same approval from the House. 

HB 1,308 passed through the House before being amended by the Senate, with changes including which authority would oversee the regulated market.

However, members of the House opted to disagree with all Senate-amended bills sent to the chamber, while the Senate did the same for bills amended by the House, with yesterday, April 10, marking the deadline for the chambers to oppose amended legislation. 

In turn, lawmakers in the Aloha State’s conference committee, made up of members from both chambers, have until May 2 to find a compromise. 

The bill would allow for at least four online sports betting operators to obtain licenses at a fee of $250,000, with each license set to last five years.

All licensed operators would be subject to a 10% tax rate, as per HB 1,308 in its current form. 

The license fee has drawn critics from several quarters, while even the Sports Betting Alliance (SBA) has suggested raising the figure to $500,000 to cover the regulatory costs that would come with establishing the Department of Law Enforcement’s framework. 

Currently, the bill outlines that supplier licenses will cost $10,000, though the SBA has also proposed doubling that fee. 

The Senate has signed off on both license fees and tax rates, but it would appear that the House will look to negotiate both rates before the bill can be signed into law. 

Previously, HB 1,308 has been met with opposition from several Hawaii government departments, including the Attorney General’s office and the state Department of Commerce.