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Honolulu police shut down a suspected illegal gambling room on Waimakua Place in Mililani on June 9, seizing gambling machines, cash and drugs. Officers recovered 18 gambling machines and more than $11,000 in cash, along with an undisclosed quantity of illegal drugs. The Honolulu Police Department said all the items were taken into evidence for further examination.
The warrant was served around 5 p.m. by a multi-unit task force led by HPD’s Narcotics/Vice Division Gambling Detail. Officers from the Major Events Division, the District 2 Crime Reduction Unit and the Specialized Services Division also took part.
Police did not say whether any arrests were made or release details about potential suspects. The types of drugs recovered also were not disclosed. The investigation remains active.
Oahu’s illegal gambling rooms keep drawing police action
Gambling in any form is illegal in Hawaii, including in-person and online betting and sports wagering. Despite the prohibition, small backroom gambling operations have continued to surface across Oahu, often hidden inside residences or storefronts and centered on electronic gaming machines.
Honolulu police have ramped up enforcement against these operations over the past year, and the Mililani raid is the latest in an ongoing campaign.
Just days after the Mililani raid, police arrested one suspect and shut down an illegal gambling operation in Waianae, seizing 23 gambling machines, more than $8,000 in cash and illegal drugs. In a statement to KITV news, Maj. Jerome Pacarro, commander of HPD’s Narcotics/Vice Division, said investigators are increasingly linking illegal gambling to narcotics and other criminal activity, which is expanding the scope of enforcement.
Other recent raids, reported on by Hawaii News Now, include:
- June 4 — Hakimo Road, Nanakuli: 14 gambling machines and an undisclosed amount of cash seized; no arrests reported.
- May 2 — Wahiawa: 13 gambling machines and more than $7,000 in cash seized; one arrest made.
- March 11 — Mala Street, Wahiawa: 10 gambling machines and more than $5,000 in cash seized.
- November 2025 — Three raids across Waialua and Pearl City yielded 48 gambling machines, more than $13,000 in cash and several arrests, including one for promoting gambling in the second degree.
- September 2025 — An Oahu gambling room yielded 16 machines and more than $5,000 in cash.
- Earlier in 2025 — A Pearl City raid resulted in 16 machines seized, $3,855 in cash and one arrest.
New penalties aim to curb Hawaii’s illegal gambling rooms
The crackdown comes as city leaders seek stronger legal tools to combat illegal gambling. According to Readwrite news, in 2025, then-Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi introduced three bills targeting the issue.
- Bill 11 increased penalties for illegal gambling, making possession of fewer than 20 machines a misdemeanor and possession of 20 or more a felony.
- Bills 12 and 13 gave police and property owners greater authority to remove and arrest people suspected of running illegal gambling rooms.
What’s next for gambling in Hawaii?
Hawaii remains one of only two states, along with Utah, that prohibit nearly all forms of gambling, and enforcement against illegal operations shows no signs of slowing. Still, the debate over legalization continues at the Capitol.
A 2026 bill, HB 2570, would legalize online sports betting through at least six licensed sportsbooks, with no retail betting component. The bill advanced through a House committee this year but drew far more opposition than support in public testimony — including from the attorney general’s office, the Honolulu prosecutor and the state health department. Its Senate companion, SB 3303, stalled in committee in April.
Lawmakers also are weighing a broader study, through a legislative working group, of the costs and benefits of legalizing gambling in Hawaii, though any findings aren’t expected before 2027.
For now, illegal gambling remains a felony or misdemeanor in the state, and police continue to ask residents to report suspected gambling rooms to HPD’s 24-hour Narcotics/Vice hotline at 808-723-3933.
