The Honolulu City Council advanced three related measures intended to reduce illegal game rooms, electronic gambling devices and associated harms in residential neighborhoods.

Council members and testifiers described game rooms as a driver of crime, youth exposure to illicit gambling near schools and community decline in several neighborhoods, including Kalihi and parts of the Leeward Coast. Multiple community members — teachers, principals and neighborhood-board representatives — and law-enforcement supporters urged action.

Gabe Huntington, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, said the bills were developed from a Game Room Task Force and that the measures give prosecutors and police an additional, non-felony tool to address devices that function as gambling machines. “This bill will allow us to pursue gambling devices as electronic amusement devices and give us another tool to combat the game rooms,” Huntington said.

Councilmember Tupelo described examples from her district — squatters, brush fires, children hiding in vegetation and community safety problems — and said a formalized request-and-response process would help owners and HPD respond. Tupelo explained the bills create an official request form and an inspection mechanism to formalize existing informal practices.

The measures included amendments. For Bill 11 (electronic amusement devices), the council adopted a hand-carried floor draft that, among other technical edits, lowered one device threshold: it “amends ROH section 34.12 b by amending the number of amusement devices from 20 or fewer to 19 or fewer,” per the amendment summary presented to the council. The council also waived the 48‑hour notice rule to adopt the hand-carried amendment and advanced the ordinance on reading.

Community testifiers included organizations and residents from impacted areas. Alan Cardenas Jr., representing the Waianae/Nanakuli area, described local crime spikes and urged council support. Deborah Kim and other residents testified in strong support; some speakers urged additional community enforcement incentives and neighborhood reporting. Angela Melody Young, speaking for CARES, recommended focusing enforcement resources on economically distressed districts that experience disproportionate proliferation.

On final action during the session, the council recorded passage on reading for all three measures: Bill 11 (amended to CD2, FD1) passed reading after amendment; Bill 12 (CD1) passed reading; and Bill 13 (CD1) passed reading. Votes recorded on the floor show unanimous or near-unanimous support across the council for the readings.

Council leaders and the prosecuting attorney said the bills provide a policy tool short of felony prosecution aimed at small businesses and storefront operations that host illicit devices. They emphasized coordination between HPD, the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and departments such as DPP (Department of Planning and Permitting) to implement enforcement and permitting steps going forward.

Next steps include formal drafting of ordinance language for subsequent readings, operational guidance from the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and continued enforcement planning by HPD and city departments.