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 Hawaii has decided against legalizing online and live poker. Legislators opted not to hold a public hearing that would have been needed for the bill to advance. The bill would have exempted poker from state laws banning gambling by defining poker as a game of skill instead of chance but opponents of the measure insisted that it would only have opened the doors to full scale gambling in the state.
Many were disappointed that the bill was stopped in its tracks. The bill passed the Economic Revitalization & Business Committee and the Judiciary Committee but Finance Committee Chairman Marcus Oshiro said there wasn't enough public interest in the bill to merit additional consideration.
Rep. Angus McKelvey chairman for the House Economic Revitalization & Business Committee seemed very disappointed about the results. He said, "For the silent working majority of Hawaii, this [bill] offered revenue to the state without the social ills of other types of gaming, and it was a way to avoid nasty tax increases." He said that holding televised tournaments on the island would not only have boosted tourism but that potential Internet poker sites would have brought in at least $100 million each in revenue to the state in order locate their servers in Hawaii
It is now unclear how Hawaii will be able to balance their state budget. Hawaiian poker fans are no doubt very disappointed by the decision.
As always, stay tuned to Casinofan for more news and updates.
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