Hawaii has always been known for its sun, sand and surf. It may soon add another attraction: slot machines.
Hawaii is one of the last two states with no form of legalized gambling — the other is Utah — but Hawaiian lawmakers facing billion-dollar budget deficits and hunting for ways increase revenues are thinking about allowing casinos in tourist-filled Waikiki or on Native Hawaiian lands.
Proponents say casinos would draw much-needed new money and jobs into the long-troubled, tourism-dependent economy.
They insist tourists from the mainland would skip Las Vegas to sun on pristine beaches and take a turn at the roulette tables.
Coveted high-rollers from Asia could avoid the long trans-Pacific flight, shortening their trip to the slots while also checking out the hula dancing.
And the hundreds of thousands of Hawaii residents who fly about six hours to Vegas would be able to jump into the car or hop a short flight to place a wager. Las Vegas is known around here as Hawaii’s ninth island, and hotels in Nevada cater to the state’s needs by serving island dishes, and dealers wear floral aloha shirts.
“The populace here loves to gamble. Hawaii by nature is a gambling community,” said Honolulu resident Ricky Graves.
He travels to Las Vegas two or three times a year but fears casinos in Hawaii could ruin families by making it too easy for them to gamble away their money.
Gambling opponents are urging state legislators to block casinos so the islands can maintain their status as a family-friendly destination lacking the serious crime and social problems they say accompanies legalized gambling elsewhere.
“People don’t come here to be shut up in a casino to gamble,” said Dianne Kay, president of the Hawaii Coalition Against Legalized Gambling. “It would be sad if we destroyed the beautiful ambiance we have here.”
Islanders have a long history with gambling, dating back to the days of the Hawaiian kingdom when there was betting on horse racing, said Kale Gumapac, spokesman for the Native Hawaiian group Kanaka Council Moka o Keawe.
Already, however, illegal gambling is thriving in the islands, with sports books, cock fighting and card houses the most popular forms. The Internet also has made gaming more accessible.
Still, the state’s natural attractions and its religious missionary history have imbued a sense among many that gambling should not intrude on one of the nation’s last holdouts against it.
While Utah is the only other state where gambling is illegal, its next-door neighbor is Nevada.
“People in Hawaii like gambling, but they realize it’s not a very good idea to legalize it,” said Dennis Arakaki, head of the Hawaii Family Forum and Hawaii Catholic Conference. “Gambling isn’t a good way to deal with your financial problems, either personally or as a state.”
Police say legal gambling would increase crimes such as prostitution and drug dealing.
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