Senate to vote today on gambling studies
By Scott Ishikawa and Ronna Bolante
Advertiser Capitol Bureau
State senators today will vote on two resolutions that would study the effects of legalizing gambling in Hawai'i.
The chances of the Legislature passing a bill to legalize gambling this session appear slight. However, Senate Concurrent Resolution 123 would authorize a study to look at the economic and social impacts of gaming in Hawai'i. Senate Resolution 91 would ask for a study to look only at gambling's economic effects.
A Capitol hearing yesterday on the matter lasted four hours and attracted nearly 100 people.
Nearly all those testifying yesterday — both supporters and opponents of legalized gambling — supported doing a study, and both sides say such a study would vindicate their cause.
Sen. Rod Tam, D-13th (Nu'uanu, Downtown, Sand Island) said three Senate committees will vote on the resolutions at 1:30 p.m. today in Senate conference room 224.
Opponents of gaming say bringing the industry to Hawai'i would increase crime and corruption, as well as create more compulsive gamblers. Developers who want to build casinos here say gaming would create jobs, bring more tourists and allow a portion of casino revenue to finance government programs.
Dorothy Bobilin and other belonging to the Hawai'i Coalition Against Legalized Gambling said a study must be done in a way that is independent and unbiased. Her husband, Robert, testified that financing public education through gaming would be a paradox.
"One study on gambling has found that one in six adolescents are compulsive gamblers," Robert Bobilin said. "You want to bring that problem here to Hawai'i?"
Ira Rohter, co-chair of the Hawai'i Green Party and also a member of the Hawai'i Coalition Against Legalized Gambling, said a thorough study would require at least a year to complete, and would need the input of various experts from the community on crime, bankruptcies, suicide, as well as members of the gaming industry and anti-gambling groups.
Consultant Jacob Miklojcik representing Holomua Hawai'i, which wants to develop two casinos in Hawai'i, testified that legalizing gambling would help Hawai'i, since the illegal activity already takes place here.
"What it would do is legalize, regulate and tax it," he said.
Miklojcik made the claim that Hawai'i residents spend about a half billion dollars a year travelling to Las Vegas and other gaming cities on the Mainland.
"We would be able to keep 10, 20, 30 percent of that money here," he said.
Gov. Ben Cayetano said he hasn't had a chance to study the gambling resolution.
"We can do everything that we need to do with some cuts and give the unions a decent pay raise," Cayetano said about gambling as a proposed way for raising revenue. "What we need is some will down here at the legislative level."
Senate Ways and Means Committee chair Brian Taniguchi said the possibility of a gambling bill passing this legislative session is slim.
"Even if you have a gambling study resolution, it'll still take two or three years to implement, but we have a problem today," said Taniguchi, D-11th (McCully, Mo'ili'ili, Manoa).
"Gambling is not going to help us today."
