The Honolulu City Council’s new Resolution No. 24-143, CD1, FD1 is establishing a new task force to address the issue of illegal game rooms in Honolulu.
The task force will collect and review data on illegal gambling activities such as their methods, locations, associated criminal activities, and the effectiveness of current enforcement policies.
The group will also generate new strategies to present to the new legislation and community meetings to actively combat illegal game rooms and preserve public safety.
“Until recently, there were over 100 illegal game rooms on O‘ahu, each of them bringing violence and drug abuse into our communities near our families,” said Councilmember Tyler Dos Santos-Tam who co-introduced the resolution with Council Chair Tommy Waters.
“This isn’t an issue that can be solved tomorrow. It needs to be solved today. The council’s illegal game room package is one part of this solution. This task force is another. It brings together everyone who can make a difference.”
The task force will have representatives from the Honolulu Police Department, the Department of Planning and Permitting, and the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney, Corporation Counsel, and Office of Council Services, along with two members of the public appointed by the City Council.
“This is about protecting our neighborhoods and ensuring our residents feel safe. By bringing together experts from law enforcement, city planning, and legal prosecution, we can develop robust strategies to shut down these operations for good,” said Council Chair Waters.
The task force will present its findings, recommendations and strategies to the City Council within 90 days from its inception in mid-July to improve the ways the city can prevent and deter illegal gaming rooms.
Moreover, the signing of SB2197 (now Act 249) expands the scope of “advanc[ing] gambling activity” which will now include different forms of material aid to gambling activities such as maintaining equipment and managing financial operations.
“This legislation is a much-needed one, to help protect our neighborhood from crimes that directly affect the safety and lives of our residents,” said Kathleen Lee, Chair of the Ala Moana/Kaka‘ako Neighborhood Board.
“We appreciate the collaboration of our state and city/county officials to hold those who perpetuate the existence of illegal game rooms that don’t belong where we live.”
Councilmember Dos Santos-Tam said this will advance the crackdown on illegal game rooms.
“For far too long, landlords have used a technicality in the law to get away with renting to game room operators and evade punishment,” he said.
“Everyone deserves to feel safe in their community. I applaud the Governor and the Legislature for their action to help us with enforcement, and hope that next session they’ll extend this act beyond 2029.”
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