Senate Rejects Proposal for Casino Bill in Hawaii

Senate Bill 893 would have granted 20-year licenses for casinos at the new Aloha Stadium Entertainment District and at the Hawaii Convention Center. Critics testified on Thursday in opposition of the bill, prompting a warning from developers.

Stanford Carr, a developer for the new Aloha Stadium project, argued that without casino revenue his group might be forced to walk away from the project. “The shortfall is over $550 million, and you just can’t make that up with the real estate investments. Its just not economically unfeasible,” Carr said. “Realistically, we would be pencils down and walk away from the project.”

Critics of the bill voiced their concerns and said that allowing casinos would lead to an increase in crime and ultimately hurt local families.

“My dad would take us to chicken fights and to gamble on every sporting event that is under the sun and gambled away money that we didn’t have. To put our family at risk, and it destroyed our family,” said senior pastor of Mililani’s Hope Chapel Jared Yamaguchi.

“If I’m a guy going to an illegal gambling house and then now there’s a potential casino, I’m probably going to go gambling at the casino. Why would I go back to that house stuff?” said Sen. Glenn Wakai, chair, comm. on Public Safety and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs.

“You’re going to have a segment of the population who is now going to this legal gambling, this casino, who might not otherwise have been exposed, to becoming gambling addicts,” said Deputy Attorney General Kory Young.

The bill would have established the Hawaii Gaming Control Commission, as well as imposed a 15% tax on gambling profits, and created a fund to combat gambling addiction.