Betting in Hawaii
Online Betting In Hawaii
Hawaii is one of only two states in the country with a true blanket ban on gambling. There are no legal online sportsbooks, no commercial or tribal casinos, no racetracks, no poker rooms, and not even a state lottery. State law treats almost every organized betting activity as criminal gambling, and that posture extends online just as much as it does on land.
Hawaii lawmakers and attorneys general have repeatedly framed gambling as incompatible with the state’s social priorities, and the Attorney General formally declared paid Daily Fantasy Sports to be illegal gambling back in 2016. More recent efforts, like 2025’s House Bill 1308 to legalize sports betting and DFS, have advanced far enough to make headlines - but still died under a mix of cultural resistance, legal concerns, and political hesitation.
However, Hawaiians aren’t completely shut out of modern betting-style products.
Because Hawaii’s statutes are written around a specific definition of “gambling,” certain formats that avoid that definition can still operate. Social and Sweepstakes Casinos use dual-currency sweepstakes models to offer slot-style and table-style games with real prize redemptions, and federally regulated Prediction Markets allow residents to speculate for real money on sports, politics, and other real-world outcomes under a federal, not state, framework.
Together, they form a narrow but very real set of legal options in a state that give bettors options in a state that keeps traditional gambling entirely off the table.
Legal Betting Formats in Hawaii TL;DR
✔ Social/Sweepstakes Sportsbooks
✔ Prediction Markets
✔ Social/Sweepstakes Casinos
❌ Online Sportsbooks
❌ Online Casinos
❌ DFS Traditional
❌ DFS Pick’em
Unfamiliar with some of these betting formats? Read our beginner's guide to all type of legal betting in the US.
If you're searching for sportsbooks online, you will often run into sites like Bovada or BetUS, that look like normal U.S. sportsbooks offering their services in Hawaii. These sites are located offshore and are not licensed or regulated, which means you have no meaningful consumer protections if something goes wrong.
If a payout is delayed, an account is restricted, or terms change, there’s usually no state regulator, no dispute process, and no enforceable standards to fall back on. For most bettors, the risk simply isn’t worth it - especially when there are legal, regulated alternatives available in Hawaii.
List of All Betting Platforms Operating In Hawaii
Hawaii’s betting landscape looks completely closed from the outside, but there are still a few legal ways to play once you factor in formats built specifically for no-gambling states.
To keep things clear, we track and verify every platform that is legally accessible in Hawaii – from social and sweepstakes casinos to social sportsbooks and federally regulated prediction markets.
Below is the most accurate, up-to-date list of every place where Hawaiians can legally play, with each platform reviewed and confirmed for compliance within Hawaii’s current legal framework.
| Platform | Category | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Legendz | Social Sportsbook | legendz.com |
| ProphetX | Social Sportsbook | prophetx.co |
| NoVig | Social Sportsbook | novig.us |
| Onyx Odds | Social Sportsbook | onyxodds.com |
| Rebet | Social Sportsbook | rebet.app |
| BettorEdge | Social Sportsbook | bettoredge.com |
| WagerLabs | Social Sportsbook | wagerlab.com |
| Kalshi | Prediction Markets | kalshi.com |
| Polymarket | Prediction Markets | polymarket.com |
| Robinhood Predictions | Prediction Markets | robinhood.com |
| Crypto.com | Prediction Markets | crypto.com |
| DraftKings Predictions | Prediction Markets | predictions.draftkings.com |
| FanDuel Predicts | Prediction Markets | fanduel.com/predicts |
| PredictIt | Prediction Markets | predictit.org |
| ForecastEx (IBKR) | Prediction Markets | forecasttrader.interactivebrokers.com |
| Webull | Prediction Markets | webull.com |
| Iowa Electronic Markets | Prediction Markets | iemweb.biz.uiowa.edu |
| Manifold (No real money) | Prediction Markets | manifold.markets |
6 Quick Facts about Hawaii Betting
Hawaii has drawn one of the hardest lines on gambling anywhere in the U.S. With virtually every traditional form of betting banned, the state has only recently started to see a narrow set of legal alternatives emerge around that prohibition.
For Hawaiians looking to understand what’s actually allowed, these quick facts break down the key rules, the legal formats available, and the practical realities of what betting looks like in Hawaii today.
Hawaii sits in an ultra-strict club with just one other state: Utah. No lottery, no casinos, no sportsbooks, no DFS - not even charity bingo gets a pass. Most states at least allow something; Hawaii’s default setting on gambling is still a hard “no.”
For bettors, that’s why the surgence of social casinos, sweepstakes sportsbooks, and prediction markets feel like such a big deal here - they’re the first real cracks in a wall that’s been solid for decades.
Every few years, you’ll see headlines about a new Hawaii bill to legalize a lottery, create a small gambling district, or license online betting. And every time, the result is the same: hearings, noise, then a quiet death in committee.
For players, that means you shouldn’t pin your hopes on a sudden, sweeping legalization. If Hawaii ever moves, it’ll probably start small - and only after a long, drawn-out political fight.
Where some states backed down on daily fantasy sports after initial pushback, Hawaii went the other direction: the Attorney General labeled DFS as illegal gambling, and the big platforms like DraftKings and FanDuel simply left. There hasn’t been a serious, sustained push to bring them back under a new legal framework.
That hard line on something as mainstream as DFS is a pretty good indicator of how resistant the state still is to full-on sports betting or casinos.
While sports betting and online casinos remain completely illegal in Hawaii, there are still a few legitimate ways for residents to play - and even win real money - without breaking the state’s strict gambling laws:
- Social Sportsbooks mimic the look and feel of real sportsbooks, letting you make picks with virtual currencies that can be redeemed for cash prizes. They’re fully legal under U.S. sweepstakes law and accessible to Hawaii residents.
- Social Casinos let you enjoy slots, blackjack, roulette, and other classic games using virtual coins instead of cash. They’re designed for entertainment, but many also offer prize draws that give players a chance to win real rewards.
- Prediction Markets allow you to legally speculate on real-world events - from politics and economics to sports and pop culture - through federally regulated platforms.
These alternatives operate fully within legal boundaries and are overseen by state and federal regulators, giving Hawaiians safe, compliant ways to enjoy betting-style experiences despite the state’s broad gambling ban.
Prediction markets are emerging as one of the few truly legal ways for Hawaiians to take part in real-money wagering.
Platforms like Kalshi let users trade on real-world outcomes - from elections and economic trends to entertainment and sports - all under the oversight of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
Because these markets are federally regulated rather than governed by state gambling laws, they’re fully accessible to residents of Hawaii.
The concept is simple: you’re not betting against a house - you’re speculating on whether something will happen, yes or no. That clarity, combined with strong federal regulation, has made prediction markets one of the safest and most innovative ways for Hawaiians to legally put a little skin in the game.
Sweepstakes sportsbooks and casinos have quickly become the go-to option for Hawaiians looking to play legally. With real-money gambling completely banned in the state, platforms like Legendz, ProphetX, and Rebet offer a lawful alternative that still delivers the thrill of betting.
These sites operate under U.S. sweepstakes law, allowing players to use virtual currencies such as Gold Coins for entertainment while Sweeps Coins can be redeemed for real cash prizes. They recreate the feel of traditional sportsbooks and casinos - from slots and blackjack to sports picks - without violating Hawaii’s strict gambling laws.
It’s a fully compliant system that keeps gameplay fun, transparent, and accessible for residents who want a safe, legal way to enjoy betting-style entertainment in the Aloha State.
What Does Our Expert Think?
Hawaii is home to some of the lushest landscapes in the U.S., but for decades, it’s been a gambling desert.
The Aloha state is one of only two states in America with a total ban on every form of wagering, historically leaving bettors with no options other than to hop a plane to Vegas - humorously dubbed "the ninth island". Where other states left space for compromise or ambiguity, Hawaii spent decades writing gambling out of its identity.
That comes from a very different place than a state that simply “hasn’t gotten around” to legalization. In Hawaii, lawmakers and attorneys general have repeatedly treated gambling as something that cuts against the social fabric they’re trying to protect. When revenue debates come up, gambling gets mentioned, but it rarely becomes the serious centerpiece of a fiscal plan. You’ll see bills filed, hearings held, and then the same pattern: concern about social impact wins, and the bill quietly dies before a real regulatory framework is ever sketched out.
You can see that logic clearly in how the state treated daily fantasy sports. In a lot of jurisdictions, DFS slid into the market first and only later got formally blessed or constrained. Hawaii went the other way. The Attorney General labeled paid DFS as illegal gambling years ago, and lawmakers never moved to carve out an exception. For bettors, that’s important: this isn’t a state that shrugs at technical definitions. It’s a state that uses those definitions to draw hard lines.
That’s what makes Hawaii so different from a place like Georgia or California. Those states fight over who gets to offer gambling and how far it can go. Hawaii fights over whether gambling belongs at all. There’s no casino lobby pushing for expansion, no tribal network negotiating compacts, no lottery commission building the case for a new vertical. Without those institutional forces, there’s nobody inside the system arguing that regulated sportsbooks are the “safer” alternative to the status quo. The political pressure that drives legalization elsewhere just doesn’t exist here.
And yet, even in a state this strict, people still look for ways to play. Thanks to new developments, federally and legally compliant platforms have recently opened a narrow lane of safe, legitimate alternatives.
Social and sweepstakes casinos are built specifically for environments like Hawaii - places where traditional gambling is off the table, but sweepstakes law and free-to-play structures still give operators room to operate. Players use virtual coins or dual-currency systems instead of direct cash wagers, but the core appeal is simple: familiar casino-style games and sports-style picks, promotions, and prize structures that can still lead to real rewards without triggering Hawaii’s gambling statutes.
Prediction markets sit in a similar “outside the state” lane. They’re structured and supervised at the federal level, which means Hawaii doesn’t license or police them the way it would a traditional bookmaker. You’re not dealing with an offshore sportsbook hiding in a legal blind spot; you’re dealing with a product that has its own explicit regulatory home and allows you to speculate on a wide range of real-world outcomes - even if it doesn’t look like a standard U.S. sportsbook.
It’s a small but meaningful shift. For the first time, Hawaii bettors have access to real-money gaming options that are both legal and regulated. The state itself may not be changing its stance anytime soon, but players no longer have to sit entirely on the sidelines. In a place that once outlawed even friendly bingo, that’s real progress.
