Committee narrows penalties for electronic amusement devices, amends Bill 11 to reduce administrative burden

The Committee on Public Safety and Customer Services amended Bill 11 (2025), which would regulate electronic amusement devices (game-room–style machines), to a hand-carried CD1 and reported the amended bill out for passage on second reading and referral to the committee on Budget.

Council Member Tupole, the measure’s introducer, said the amendment grew from recommendations of the Game Room Task Force and focused on removing overly broad criminal penalties for small proprietors. Tupole said the goal is not to “throw uncle and auntie into federal prison” but to remove illegal gambling devices from small stores through civil or modest criminal fines and streamlined permitting and enforcement. “We want them to take their little game machine outside of the milk area of their grocery store and maybe not do that anymore,” Tupole said.

Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Gabriel Huntington told the committee he worked with Tupole’s office to reduce the administrative burden on the Honolulu Police Department and to preserve enforcement options for larger or commercial operations. Huntington said he eliminated certain civil portions and favored a criminal fine structure and warnings to reduce administrative burdens. Captain Pacarro of the Honolulu Police Department’s Narcotics/Vice Division said the amendments address prior departmental concerns about registration and permitting workload and would help streamline investigations.

No registered in-person or remote public testimony was recorded on this item. The chair recommended the hand-carried CD1 be adopted; no objections were raised and the committee ordered the bill amended, reported out for second reading and scheduled a public hearing, and referred the measure to the Budget Committee for its consecutive referral.