H.B. 2485 Summary

• Establishes Hawaii State Lottery Commission with five members appointed by the governor, president of the senate, and speaker of the house, with required expertise in law enforcement, accounting, marketing, and retail operations.

• Creates a state lottery overseen by an executive director appointed by the governor with salary set at 87% of the director of human resources development; commission meets quarterly to set policy on lottery games, prize structures, and ticket sales.

• Designates at least 50% of lottery revenues for prize payouts, with up to 18.5% for operating expenses including agent compensation (5.5-8% of ticket sales) and administrative costs.

• Directs excess lottery revenues to the pest inspection, quarantine, and eradication fund to control invasive species; also allows establishment of multistate lottery games and special instant ticket games for charitable organizations.

• Prohibits lottery ticket sales to persons under 21 years old and persons using public assistance vouchers or electronic benefits transfer cards; establishes liability setoff program allowing state agencies to satisfy debts from lottery prize payments of $600 or more.