HI HR114

Requests the Legislative Reference Bureau to conduct a comprehensive study on public health and safety concerns related to gaming to inform future decision-making on legalized gambling in Hawaii.

Study must establish baseline prevalence of gambling problems broken down by demographics (age, gender, location, community membership) and include subsequent assessments one year after any legalization to track changes in gambling patterns and related harms.

Requires focused evaluation of gambling's impact on vulnerable populations, including assessment of safeguards and policy analysis to eliminate loopholes that could enable predatory business practices.

Directs economic impact studies on gaming facilities' effects on communities and feasibility of asset-based incentive programs, plus public health and safety impact studies on surrounding communities.

Notes Hawaii currently has no legalized gambling despite recurring legislative proposals, while an estimated 70-100 illegal gambling rooms operate on Oahu and a 2009 study estimated $26.3 million in social costs from problem and pathological gamblers.