Council Approves Three Measures Targeting Game Rooms and Illegal Gambling; Prosecutor and Community Cite Crime Near Schools

The Honolulu City Council on Friday approved a package of three measures that expand the city’s tools to address game rooms and unregulated electronic gambling devices, citing community complaints of crime, violence and youth exposure near schools.

The measures passed third reading after committee amendments and public testimony from prosecutors, neighborhood leaders and community groups. Supporters said the measures give law enforcement and prosecutors a less‑punitive, more targeted tool to remove devices and close game rooms that attract drugs and violent crime.

Gabe Huntington, a deputy prosecuting attorney who participated in the game‑room task force, told the council the electronic‑device bill would let prosecutors pursue gambling devices by classifying them as “electronic amusement devices” and provide a civil or misdemeanor‑level enforcement tool in…