Relating To Economic Development.
SB891 establishes a Tourism and Gaming Working Group within the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism (DBEDT). The group is directed to review prior gaming bills, evaluate whether gaming could be implemented in Hawaii, and develop a broader tourism-gaming policy framework aimed at economic activity, jobs, investment, and tax revenue. It must also examine the potential for gaming at the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District and consider how gaming could support DBEDT and the Hawaii Tourism Authority.
The bill also requires the working group to study public-health and social impacts, including strategies to reduce gambling addiction, other health hazards, and financial harms. The group is to include legislative leaders, state agency representatives, community members, Native Hawaiian cultural representatives, social services experts, a health care professional, labor representation, and gaming industry participants. It must report findings and any proposed legislation to the Legislature before the 2026 regular session, and the group is scheduled to dissolve on June 30, 2026.
The bill does not legalize gaming or change existing gambling laws directly; instead, it creates an advisory and study body within DBEDT to evaluate policy options and produce recommendations. Its practical effect is to place gaming policy, tourism development, and related regulatory and social concerns under formal legislative review, with a focus on economic development and potential revenue generation. The bill also requires administrative support from DBEDT and sets a reporting deadline, which could influence future legislation on gambling, tourism, taxation, public health, and land use around the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District.
The committee votes suggest generally favorable support for the bill, with the measure passing the Senate Economic Development and Technology Committee twice and the Senate Ways and Means Committee unanimously. The progression through committee indicates interest in studying gaming as an economic development tool, while the inclusion of mitigation measures for addiction and financial harm suggests an effort to address public concerns alongside potential benefits. The absence of recorded transcript discussion limits insight into individual arguments, but the vote history points to broad committee acceptance.
The main points of contention are likely to center on whether Hawaii should move toward gaming at all, and if so, how to balance projected economic benefits against social costs. Supporters appear to emphasize tourism, jobs, investment, and tax revenue, while critics would be expected to focus on gambling addiction, financial harm, cultural concerns, and the appropriateness of gaming in the state, especially near the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District. The bill’s inclusion of Native Hawaiian representatives, community groups, labor, health professionals, and addiction experts suggests lawmakers anticipated these concerns and sought a balanced, multi-stakeholder review.