The Honolulu City Council is forming a task force to reduce illegal game rooms on Oʻahu.
The council passed a measure last week to establish the seven-member task force. Its mission will be to improve enforcement and legal methods to take down the operations, which are often associated with crime.
“Until recently, there were over 100 illegal game rooms on O‘ahu, each of them bringing violence and drug abuse into our communities near our families,” said councilmember Tyler Dos Santos-Tam in a statement.
“This isn’t an issue that can be solved tomorrow. It needs to be solved today. The council’s illegal game room package is one part of this solution. This task force is another. It brings together everyone who can make a difference," he continued.
The group will include one member from the Honolulu Police Department, Department of Planning and Permitting, Department of the Prosecuting Attorney, Department of the Corporation Counsel and Office of Council Services.
Two members of the public will also be part of the group once selected by the council.
Tina Yamaki, president of the Retail Merchants of Hawaiʻi, told the council that removing game rooms will also help businesses since police often recover stolen items after raids.
“Gambling rooms contribute to the increase in crime rate and financial instability amongst residents. We have seen many stolen items of value being recovered,” she said.
The task force is scheduled to dissolve at the end of June 2025.
The Honolulu Police Department has said that there are about 100 active illegal game rooms on the island on any given day.
This year, state lawmakers also moved Senate Bill 2197 to expand what can be considered gambling. Dos Santos-Tam said the new law will also help the city crackdown on illegal game rooms.
