The chances of Hawaii waiving its prohibition on legalized gambling to allow a resort casino to help get more than 28,000 Native Hawaiians onto their ancestral lands dimmed considerably Friday when a House bill stalled in committee.
State Rep. Sean Quinlan, chairman of the House Economic Development Committee, deferred House Bill 359 without a vote.
The proposal has divided the Native Hawaiian community and the Hawaiian Home Lands Commission on whether an Oahu casino is the proper way to generate revenue to get Hawaiians into homes and onto land.
A companion bill, Senate Bill 1321, remains alive and is scheduled to be heard Thursday in the Senate Hawaiian Affairs Committee.
