There are about 100 active game rooms on any given day, according to Honolulu police, and new legislation aims to make it easier to deter or shut them down.
On Wednesday at the Kalihi Uka Community Park, which is adjacent to the Kalihi Uka Elementary School, Honolulu City Councilmember Tyler Dos Santos-Tam pointed out a building steps away from the park, on the other side of Kalihi Street.
“On July 27, HPD came in and did a raid on two game rooms that are right behind us right across from this elementary school," he said. “It really speaks to how these game rooms are, you know, so dangerous for our kids, so dangerous for the kupuna who just want to walk down the street, and for families who just want to enjoy the park here.”
The recently constructed second floor of the building — and the basement of the building behind it — were part of HPD's July operation to take down illegal game rooms in Kalihi and Kaheka.
The so-called "Operation Firestorm" resulted in the discovery of illegal drugs, cash and 45 gambling devices. Four people were arrested, including three for multiple drug offenses.
Game rooms have been associated with illegal activity and are described as an issue of public safety.
Dos Santos-Tam and fellow Councilmember Andria Tupola, who represents the west side of Oʻahu, held a news conference at the park to announce two bills and a resolution they hope will better stop or discourage game rooms.
Bill 58 would let Honolulu police enforce building code violations, a spokesperson for Dos Santos-Tam explained, while Bill 57 could penalize and punish landlords for allowing game rooms on their properties.
The legislators worked with HPD on the bills to give police more tools to tackle the game rooms.
Maj. Mike Lambert, of HPD's Narcotics Vice Division, said that while there are about 100 active games rooms on Oʻahu at any point, taking one down is a slow and involved process.
"We have to infiltrate the operation, we have to prove that gambling is occurring, and many times we have to show it on separate occasions to show the intent of the operator," Lambert said at the press conference. "Just to give you guys an example, any one location can take upwards of 1,500 to 2,000 hours of manpower to get it done."
He said that with the passage of the bills, police wouldn't have to rely just on proving that gambling is taking place.
“When we are allowed to go in there either by search warrant or other means of arrest, we would then know the building code violations ... leveraging responsible owners to say, 'Hey, this is what's going on in your property, either evict these people, correct the problem, all of the above or, if not, the penalties go to you,'” Lambert said.
He wants to reduce the number of game rooms to about 80 in 2024 but said HPD needs the resources and laws in place to discourage them.
