Lawmakers are looking into ways to crack down on illegal game rooms.
Department of Law Enforcement Director Mike Lambert roughly estimated that about $400 million a year is spent at illegal game rooms in Hawaiʻi.
The Honolulu Police Department told members of the Tourism and Gaming Working Group that about 75% of the time, they also find narcotics during busts.
Honolulu Prosecutor Steve Alm explained that a law passed last year has made it easier to go after property owners who allow illegal gamerooms to operate.
“One of the laws you passed last year, that took away a defense because the law used to allow it, unless the owner of the property made attempts to stop it, that made it impossible to enforce because they'd say, ‘I just told these guys to stop it,’ that would be enough,” he said. “Now that's gone … so I think this is a fruitful area that we'll be able to do a number of cases like that.”
There are about 50 illegal gamerooms in Honolulu. When police raid the gamerooms, they arrest the operator. They are usually unable to arrest the people participating because they need to prove that they were playing at the time the officer arrived on the scene.
Lambert will be sending lawmakers his recommendations on how to strengthen laws so that they can consider legislation this session.
