Hawaii Online Casinos
Hawaii may be one of the hottest tourist destinations in the United States, but that doesn’t stop it from being one of the least gambling-friendly countries in the entire country. Gambling-related regulations are pretty much as strict as in Utah and can be summed up with a simple statement: if an activity involves placing a wager, it is most probably illegal.
Hawaii residents as well as the people visiting the state have no access to any land-based casinos, card rooms, or race tracks. The only way to gamble legally is to do so in the privacy of your home, but even then the operator isn’t allowed to profit from hosting the games. Fortunately, this also means that online casino enthusiasts playing at offshore gambling sites are very unlikely to be bothered by the local authorities.
Hawaii Gambling Laws
Gambling in the Hawaii is covered by Hawaii Statutes §712-1220 through §712-1231 and is defined as placing a wager on a game of chance.
“A person engages in gambling if he stakes or risks something of value upon the outcome of a contest of chance or a future contingent event not under his control or influence, upon an agreement or understanding that he or someone else will receive something of value in the event of a certain outcome.”
Please note that while the state of Hawaii does accept social gaming, it has no laws pertaining to online casino games. Running an online gambling business from within the borders of the state is completely out of question, but as mentioned above playing on offshore sites shouldn’t put you in any kind of trouble.
Online Casinos
Hawaii doesn’t have any online casinos operating on the intrastate market, but it’s possible for Hawaii residents to join the action on one of the numerous offshore casino sites, which attract players from all over the world. Those casinos generally have larger player pools than their local, US-only counterparts, giving you access to massive jackpots and offering some of the best promotions available in the industry right now.
Offshore Casino Sites That Accept Hawaii Players
Even though Hawaii has some of the most severe anti-gambling regulations in the entire country, most offshore sites that accept US-based customers shouldn’t have any problems with accepting Hawaii residents. Most of those sites run on Real Time Gaming software, which is a popular platform for international casinos that allows them to integrate slots and other games developed by third-party companies, such as BetSoft Gaming.
Most Hawaii residents prefer to fund their offshore casino accounts using credit card payments. The most popular credit card brands include Visa and MasterCard, but American Express cards have also seen some limited use in the past. The biggest problem with using a credit card to make a deposit to an offshore site is the fact that your transaction may be blocked by the bank, which won’t cost you any money, but will prevent you from using the same card for online gambling purposes in the future. Consequently, it is more convenient to find a Western Union/MoneyGram friendly site, as making a deposit via a cash transfer has a 100% success rate.
Developing Legal Scenarios
While Hawaii legislators are starting to realize that land-based gambling might be an excellent way to boost state revenue, there’s no denying the fact that it’s very unlikely for the state to go beyond legalizing brick and mortar gambling venues in the foreseeable future. Consequently, Hawaii residents have no choice but to continue playing on offshore casino sites, which isn’t all that bad since state officials don’t seem to be interested in prosecuting online players.
