Hawaii State Senator Dru Mamo Kanuha has offered a bill that would allow Hawaii to sell Powerball and Mega Millions. The first bill, first introduced on January 24, 2019, seeks to establish a division with the state’s Department of Budget and Finance to oversee state participation in the two multi-state games. The legislation would create the basic infrastructure of the lottery and amend previous state laws to allow for the selling and purchasing lottery tickets. The bill was sent to the state’s Committee on Judiciary and the Committee on Ways and Means. No official update has been given since then.
On March 8th, Senator Kanuha offered a Concurrent Resolution urging the Department of Budget and Finance to examine participation in the multi-state games, noting the large amount of revenue generated by other state lotteries.