Council’s Crackdown on Illegal Game Rooms: Legislation to Ensure a Fair Gaming Environment

Every day, Honolulu Police estimate that there are around 100 illegal game rooms operating on the island. These establishments, using electronic gambling devices to play the “fish game,” make hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars in gambling profits daily.

Shutting down these unlawful yet profitable ventures has proven to be a difficult task for HPD. Even when they are discovered, investigated, and closed down through search warrants and police raids, these illicit gambling parlors tend to quickly reopen, sometimes in the same location and often under new operators.

On average, only about 20 of these operations are closed on Oahu in a year’s time.

During a news conference in Kalihi Valley, Hono­lulu City Council members Tyler Dos Santos-Tam and Andria Tupola announced their introduction of a legislative package consisting of two bills and one resolution. The goal of these measures is to curtail illegal game rooms and the associated crimes they tend to attract, such as drug sales, weapon possession, robberies, and gun violence. The proposed legislation aims to coordinate the efforts of HPD with city agencies like the Department of Planning and Permitting and Corporation Counsel to target landlords of properties used for game rooms.

To illustrate the purpose of their effort, the Council members chose a spot across the street from a two-story building that was raided by police for being an illegal gaming establishment. They claim that the second floor of this mixed-use building, which includes a liquor store and a poke bowl eatery on its ground floor, was also being used for illegal gambling. Additionally, the basement of a nearby home owned by the same property owner was also found to be used as a game room.

“This second floor did not exist a few years ago,” stated Dos Santos-Tam, referring to the building in question. “If you go on Google Street View, in 2019 it is not there. And so this (second floor) popped up seemingly overnight, with no building permits.”

The legislative package includes Bill 57, Bill 58, and Resolution 228. Notably, Bill 57 would empower the Department of Planning and Permitting and the Corporation Counsel to take action against landlords of buildings used for illegal game rooms. This bill proposes fines of $1,000 per day and up to $150,000 in total fines for landlords, while also allowing legal action to be taken against them. Bill 58 would grant designated HPD officers the authority to impose penalties for violations of building codes, fire codes, and land use ordinances. Resolution 228 calls for collaborative efforts between HPD and the Department of Planning and Permitting in enforcing the law and sharing evidence.

The issue of unlawful game rooms is not limited to Kalihi alone; it is a problem across the entire island, including the Leeward Coast. Andria Tupola, who has held three town hall meetings on the game room issue in her district, stated that these operations often go unnoticed, hidden inside single-family homes in residential areas like Waianae.

“They have been going on and on despite hours and hours of what I would say are wasted city resources,” said Tupola, emphasizing that the efforts of the police can only do so much before the game rooms resurface. In District 1, where Tupola serves, the problem is compounded by frequent shootings tied to these gambling parlors. Tupola attributes the violence to the large amounts of cash involved in these illegal operations.

The newly proposed legislation, inspired by similar efforts in Portland, Oregon, is seen as a possible solution by the police. Police Maj. Roland Turner, who commands Patrol District 5 covering greater Kalihi, believes that codifying a plan and involving other city agencies like the Department of Planning and Permitting can lead to better outcomes.

Turner explained, “Because we might hit this game room 10 times, shut it down completely, take the machines, make arrests, but then it starts up again, and the community rightfully says, ‘What’s going on?’ But the problem is because it’s not necessarily the same people operating it.”

He added that in some cases, these game rooms may be run by a few individuals with connections to organized crime.

Cpl. Alika Watson, who works in District 5, revealed that on average, one game room is shut down per month in Kalihi. He mentioned that the two-story building raided in the summer had been raided multiple times in the past. Watson believes that the key to resolving the issue lies in targeting the property owners who allow game rooms to operate.

Turner agreed, stating, “The property owner remains the same no matter who is running the illegal establishment.” He believes that imposing fines and other sanctions against the landlord will bring about positive change. “Once you get (the property owner) interested in closing it down, it closes down,” Turner concluded.