Honolulu Police Shut Down Fourth Illegal Gambling Den

Honolulu police recently shut down another illegal gambling operation on Queen Street, seizing 26 digital gambling machines and $7,547 in cash during a search on August 7 around 3 p.m. 

Officers from the Narcotics/Vice Division conducted the raid, but no arrests were made at the scene.

Fourth Illegal Den Shut Down in a Month

The recent raid marks the fourth illegal gambling operation closed by police since early July. 

On July 28, HPD’s Narcotics/Vice Division, along with officers from the Crime Reduction Unit and the Specialized Services Division joined hands to execute search warrants at two separate illegal gaming locations, confiscating 20 gambling machines, $3,615 in cash, and illegal drugs. 

A 29-year-old man was also put under arrest on suspicion of promoting gambling in the second degree and possession of a gambling device.

Only two days later, officers raided another gambling den on Wanaka Street in Salt Lake, where they came across 18 gambling machines, $4,354 in cash, and more illegal drugs.

Earlier in the same month, on July 8, a similar crackdown took place in Waianae near Farrington Highway. Then, the authorities discovered 20 gambling machines, $3,615 in cash, and illegal substances during a narcotics/vice investigation. 

The same 29-year-old man from the July 28 raids was arrested on similar charges and later released pending further investigation.

According to HPD’s Crime Analysis Dashboard, as of Monday, there have been 80 violations related to gambling equipment and 85 violations connected to promoting, operating, or assisting illegal gambling activities within the same period.

If you have information about illegal gambling, the Narcotics/Vice Division encourages you to call their 24-hour hotline at (808) 723-3933 or submit a tip through the online form.

Legalization Efforts Continue

At the end of June, Honolulu took one more step toward a more efficient crackdown of illegal gambling by introducing three bills seeking to track electronic gambling devices, deny, suspend, and revoke permits in case of gambling violations, and allow landlords to assist with inspections and evictions tied to suspected illicit gambling activity. 

In the meantime, Hawaii remains one of two U.S. states that completely ban all forms of gambling, sports betting included. 

However, attempts to introduce different regulated gambling activities have come and gone in the last few years, but so far, none have been successful. For instance, House Bill 1308 could have brought the Aloha state four licensed online sports betting operators that could have started providing their services to domestic players on July 1.