State law brief
Hawaii
Hawaii's value definition reaches beyond cash
Sources reviewed Next review due
- Status on record
- Restricted by state action
- Sweeps Coins redemption
- Not blocked by any state rule on our records
- Operators accepting players
- 145 scored operators, per our availability records
Does Hawaii's SB 3281 SD1 bill text establish current sweepstakes law?
No. The linked SD1 text and hearing notice document a legislative proposal and hearing, not enacted chapter law. This brief therefore relies on the current Hawaii Revised Statutes for its legal summary and presents the bill only as legislative context.
What the law says
Hawaii Revised Statutes section 712-1220 defines gambling as risking something of value on a contest of chance or a future contingent event in return for the prospect of receiving something of value. Its definitions extend beyond cash to property, tokens, exchangeable objects, credit, and certain services or entertainment. Section 712-1223 makes knowing participation in gambling a misdemeanor, while section 712-1221 addresses specified large-scale promotion at higher thresholds.
How it applies to dual-currency casinos
The 2026 Legislature also considered more specific language. Senate Bill 3281 SD1 referred to sweepstakes gaming machines while proposing an offense for promoting an illegal electronic gambling device. The official materials linked here are proposed bill text and a House Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs hearing notice, not enacted chapter law. That distinction is central to this page: the current general definitions remain the legal text reviewed here, while the bill documents a proposal whose terms this brief does not treat as a new prohibition.
Enforcement on file
The official set reviewed for this brief contains current statutes and 2026 legislative materials, but no Hawaii agency order or court decision classifying a named online dual-currency operator. That negative search result is limited to the linked sources.
Still unresolved
Hawaii's general value and chance definitions are broad, but the official materials reviewed do not resolve how a particular online free-entry route changes the analysis.
Sources we read
Information, not legal advice. State law, its enforcement and each operator's own terms change; for a decision that matters, talk to a lawyer licensed in Hawaii. 21+ only.