Hawaii Sports Betting

Hawaii and Utah are the only U.S. states that have yet to legalize any form of gambling. Here are some key takeaways about Hawaii sports betting.

Is it illegal for me to bet from home in Hawaii?

Yes, placing the bet is itself an offense under Hawaii law.

It is a misdemeanor to knowingly participate in any gambling activity, with gambling defined as staking something of value on a contest of chance or a future contingent event outside your control. An online sports bet placed from a couch in Kailua fits that definition.

The penalties escalate sharply for anyone operating a sports betting business, and they were raised recently. Recent changes elevated promoting gambling in the first degree to a class B felony, and promoting gambling in the second degree to a class C felony.

Are prediction markets like Kalshi legal in Hawaii?

Yes, CFTC-regulated prediction market apps are currently accessible to Hawaii residents, though Hawaii's zero-tolerance stance on gambling makes their regulatory footing far more precarious than in most other states.

Exchanges like Kalshi and Polymarket operate under federal Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) oversight as designated contract markets, allowing you to buy and sell binary contracts that settle at $1 or $0 depending on whether a real-world event occurs.

You trade peer-to-peer against other market participants rather than against a house or bookmaker, with the platform earning exchange fees rather than building a margin into setting odds. You must be 18 or older to open an account and trade on these platforms.

Platforms currently accessible and offering prediction market promos in Hawaii include:

• Kalshi
• Polymarket
• DraftKings Predictions
• FanDuel Predicts
• Novig
• ProphetX

Can I play daily fantasy sports in Hawaii?

No, daily fantasy sports are not permitted in Hawaii.

Back in January 2016 Hawaii Attorney General Doug Chin issued a formal opinion concluding that paid daily fantasy contests are illegal gambling under Hawaii law.

Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Keith Kaneshiro followed with cease-and-desist letters to DraftKings and FanDuel. Both left the state. That position has not changed in the decade since, and Hawaii is one of a small handful of states where DFS remains unavailable.

While real-money sports betting is not available, Hawaii offers several DFS options and social casino apps for residents to play.

Thrillz Social Sportsbook Hawaii

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Rebet Social Sportsbook Hawaii

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Hawaii Social Casinos

Take a look at the Hawaii social casinos available below!

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WOW Vegas Casino

The free-to-play social casino offers more than 500 casino-style games to play!

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The vast social casino offers over 750 games for users to enjoy. Sign up today to redeem the welcome offer below!

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Stake.us Casino

Stake.us Casino is an excellent option for social casino players, especially those looking to use cryptocurrencies. 

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Hawaii Teams to Bet on

Hawaii hosts just one D-1 college program — the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors.

Hawaii Rainbow Warriors

Football | Basketball

The University of Hawaii at Manoa travels further than any program in the country, taking a flight to every road game. That has always been the defining feature of betting the Rainbow Warriors, and it is about to matter more: after 14 years in the Big West for most sports and as a football-only Mountain West member, Hawaii became a full Mountain West member on July 1, 2026, moving basketball into a considerably tougher league.

Hawaii College Football Betting

Timmy Chang enters his fifth season off the best year of his tenure. Hawaii went 9–4 and 5–3 in the Mountain West in 2025, becoming bowl eligible for the first time since 2019 and then beating California 35–31 in the Hawaii Bowl. It was the program's first nine-win season since 2019 and Chang's first winning record as head coach, capped by a 38–6 rout of conference leader San Diego State in front of a sellout in November.

The Rainbow Warriors play at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex, the on-campus venue they moved into after Aloha Stadium closed. Aloha Stadium was demolished in 2025 to clear the way for the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District development.

Hawaii College Basketball Betting

Eran Ganot signed a new deal after a season that ended a long postseason drought. Hawaii went 24–9 and 14–6 in its final Big West campaign, won the conference tournament and reached the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time in program history, before a first-round loss to fourth-seeded Arkansas as a No. 13 seed.

The Rainbow Warriors play at SimpliFi Arena at the Stan Sheriff Center, a 10,300-seat venue in Honolulu, and still hold one NCAA Tournament win, the 2016 upset of California that remains the only time the program has advanced past the opening round. Ganot enters his 12th season with a heavily rebuilt roster and a first year of Mountain West competition ahead.

Recommended Resources: How to Bet on Football Guide | How to Bet on Basketball Guide

Where can a Hawaii resident legally bet on a mainland trip?

You can bet legally if you visit a legal betting state; you just need is to be physically present in that state.

The catch for Hawaiians is that the two most common nonstop flights from Honolulu take you to two of the toughest locations for sports gambling in the U.S.

Be careful with Nevada, even if it is the closest direct location with widespread sports betting.

Nevada is the only state on that list that will not let you complete signup from your phone. You download the app, start the registration, and then have to walk into a casino affiliated with that specific sportsbook to finish it and usually to fund it.

If Las Vegas is the trip, do the registration on arrival day, before anything else, and check which property matches your chosen app before you go.

Alternatively, you can just bet at the counter. Nevada's retail sportsbooks need no pre-registration at all, and for a short trip that is often the more sensible answer.

What happens to my mainland account and balance when I fly home?

Your account stays open. Your money stays in it. You just cannot bet with it from Hawaii.

• You can log in, view your balance and see your bet history from Hawaii.
• You can withdraw your balance to your bank from Hawaii.
• Bets you placed while physically in a legal state settle normally.

A Super Bowl ticket bought in Las Vegas in September pays out in February if it wins, and you do not need to be back in Nevada for it to settle. You may need to be in-state to cash a paper retail ticket.

But:

• You cannot place a new bet, and in most cases you cannot deposit.
• Cash-out and in-play features stop working from Hawaii.
• Be careful with your inactive account, especially if you want to use it again on another trip. Most operators apply dormancy rules and you could lose your balance. If you are not going back within a year, withdraw.

Does flying to the mainland to bet make financial sense?

For betting alone, no.

A five-hour flight, hotel nights and Hawaii-to-mainland airfare are expensive enough. Then factor in that you are likely to lose money gambling. Only a massive longshot winner would make it worthwhile for a casual bettor to leave the Islands.

Where can I get help with problem gambling in Hawaii?

Despite having no sports gambling options, Hawaii does have a number of tools on hand to help anyone struggling with problem gambling:

• The National Problem Gambling Helpline number is 1-800-MY-RESET.
• The older 1-800-522-4700 line also remains active.
• Gamblers Anonymous meets in Hawaii, including on Oahu, and meeting times are listed on the Gamblers Anonymous website.
• Gam-Anon serves family members.

What gambling limits can I set in Hawaii?

One of the key methods that gamblers can use to protect themselves is the built-in protections that sports betting sites have. However, in Hawaii, with no licensed operators, there are very limited options for players.

All prediction markets have limits that can be used to help players, with the likes of Kalshi and Polymarket offering:

• Deposit limits - how much you can deposit in a period of time

• Wagering limits - how much you can spend in a period of time

• Reality checks - a reminder if you have been playing for a lengthy period of time

• Time-outs - the site will lock you out for a set number of hours, days or weeks

• Site self-exclusion - permanent exclusion from being able to use their services

Prediction market players can use these tools to help protect themselves and others.

There are also some other options on the table for Hawaiians:

• Bank and card blocks. Most major U.S. banks and card issuers now offer a gambling merchant category block you can switch on yourself in the app.

• Device-level blocking software. Third-party gambling blockers cover apps and websites across phone and laptop.

How are betting winnings taxed for a Hawaii resident?

Hawaii has a state income tax, which means the mainland betting trip creates a real reporting obligation, and 2026 is the year the federal rules got materially worse.

The two points people get wrong

You report gross winnings, not net profit.

Every winning wager is income. Losing wagers are a separate itemized deduction, not a subtraction from the winning ones.

A year in which you won $6,000 across your winning bets and lost $6,400 across your losing ones is not a $400 loss for tax purposes; it is $6,000 of income and a deduction you may or may not be able to claim.

You only get the loss deduction if you itemize.

Most filers do not, and for Hawaii residents that just got harder on both returns.

What changed federally for 2026

Two changes took effect for tax years beginning January 1, 2026, under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

• Gambling losses are now deductible at only 90 percent of their value, still capped at the amount of your winnings. The old rule allowed 100 percent up to winnings.
• The information reporting threshold for gambling payouts rose from $600 to $2,000 for payments made after December 31, 2025, indexed for inflation after 2026.

What Hawaii adds on top

Hawaii taxes gambling winnings as ordinary income. There are 12 brackets running from 1.4 percent to 11 percent. For tax year 2026 the brackets are the same as 2025: for a single filer the 7.6 percent bracket covers taxable income from $48,000 to $125,000, and the 11 percent top rate starts at $325,000. For joint filers the 11 percent rate starts at $650,000.

The Hawaii-specific twist for 2026 is the standard deduction, and it works against you here. Act 46, Session Laws of Hawaii 2024, the largest income tax cut in the state's history, roughly doubled Hawaii's standard deduction for tax year 2026:

This is general information, not tax advice.