A national gambling researcher said Thursday that Hawaii is not ready to legalize gambling because too little is known about its impacts.
Dr. Raymond Cho, Ph. D., project coordinator at the Rutgers Center for Gambling Studies in New Jersey, said the state needs more data before legalizing gambling.
“Right now, we don’t know how vulnerable or prepared Hawaii actually is when it comes to gambling harms,” Cho said. “Even outside of gambling, Hawaii already faces behavioral health and access and workforce challenges, especially in rural and neighbor island communities.”
Hawaii is the only state besides Utah that currently outlaws all forms of gambling.
