Hawaii has some of the strictest gambling laws in the US, one of just two states prohibiting all forms of real money casino gambling (along with Utah), so there are no casinos, poker rooms, or sportsbooks in the Aloha State. However, Hawaii online casino players can play slots and more for cash prizes at sweepstakes casinos. These are legal, legitimate sites offering casino-style action from anywhere in HI, available to both Hawaii residents and visitors aged 18 and up.
Online Casino Gaming for Cash Prizes in Hawaii
We have reviewed all the leading sweepstakes and social casinos that accept customers in Hawaii and offer cash prizes. These are the best HI casino sites offering signup bonuses with our sweepstakes promo codes right now.
Gambling is for entertainment purposes only. Stay safe and ensure success when you gamble responsibly. Gambling problem? Call or text 1-800-GAMBLER for confidential support. Visit SAMHSA’s National Helpline website for resources that include a treatment center locator, anonymous chat, and more.
How Hawaii Online Casinos Work
Social and sweepstakes casinos feature two types of coins: fun-play coins and premium coins. You can use either to play slots online as well as blackjack, roulette, and more. To win cash prizes, players can use premium coins (usually called Sweeps Coins) to play the games. Any coins you win can then be redeemed for a cash prize. You can also join these sites and play the games for free – all the best Hawaii online casino bonuses give players coins right up front, no purchase necessary. You can use any of the sweepstakes no deposit bonus codes to win cash prizes on your favorite games.
How We Rank the Best Hawaii Online Casinos
Our experts focus on six key areas when reviewing online casinos in Hawaii.
- Reputation and Security: We only recommend reputable sweepstakes casinos that operate legally in the United States. They host fair games provided by renowned software providers and can be counted on to deliver quick, secure payments. These sites use firewalls and industry-standard encryption tools to safeguard your data, creating a secure online gaming environment in Hawaii.
- Game Selection: Our team of reviewers delves into the game quality and variety at every available online casino in Hawaii. We search for sites that host a broad selection of slots, covering dozens of slot themes and bonus features, along with a strong selection of table games. While size and diversity are important, we also focus on the quality of the games, including the graphics, gameplay, soundtrack, features, and so on, along with the betting limits.
- User Experience: Some online casinos are clunky, difficult to navigate, unreliable, and prone to crashing. We remove those sites and mobile apps from our recommendations, and we identify elite online casinos that offer smooth navigation, helpful filters, powerful search options, and a strong all-around user experience.
- Bonuses and Promotions: We rate the bonuses and promotions at each online casino, too. That includes any no deposit welcome bonuses, recurring promotions, social media contests, loyalty programs, and discounts available on coin purchases.
- Customer Service: Our reviewers also test the level of customer support available at each Hawaii online casino. We note the range of channels available, the response times, and the general friendliness and helpfulness of the agents, along with the quality of the online help centers. The leading HI online casinos answer questions quickly, and their representatives provide clear, insightful responses.
- Payments: You never need to make a payment when you sign up with a social or sweepstakes casino in Hawaii. Just play with Gold Coins and have fun. However, if you decide to buy Gold Coins or redeem Sweeps Coins for prizes, the process should be fast, convenient, and simple, with lots of methods available and no fees. We test out the purchase and redemption process at each online casino to ensure everything runs smoothly.
Hawaii Online Gambling Snapshot
Hawaii is pretty unfriendly to gambling, but it’s still in the mix when it comes to USA online casino states.
| Gambling Type | Legal | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Online Casino Gaming | No | Hawaii has not passed any legislation permitting online casinos, but you can play games online at social casinos and sweepstakes casino sites. |
| DFS Contests | No | Hawaii explicitly prohibits paid fantasy sports contests, so sites like FanDuel and DraftKings are unavailable in the state. |
| Online Poker | No | There are no online poker rooms or land-based cardrooms in Hawaii. |
| Pari-Mutuel Wagering | No | Hawaii is among a small minority of states that do not permit pari-mutuel wagering. |
| Online Sports Betting | No | Hawaii does not allow online sports betting, and multiple bills seeking to change that situation have died in committee in recent years. |
Online Casino Games in Hawaii
The range of online casino games will vary from one sweepstakes casino to the next, just like with real money online casinos. For that reason, it can be advantageous to register with multiple sites, as that will provide you with access to a vast library of games. For example, you can play more than 700 slots at High 5 Casino, plus live dealer games, while Sweeptastic offers a very large selection of virtual table games.
Slots in Hawaii
Slots account for the bulk of the games at any online casino in Hawaii. Some of them offer only slots, while others devote more than 90% of their library space to slots. Either way, these are some of the main slot categories to look out for.
- Classic Slots: These old-school casino games tend to feature just three reels, a limited number of paylines, basic graphics, simple gameplay, and low-to-medium volatility. Still, stepper slots remain one of the most popular at the casino.
- Video Slots: Video slots replaced mechanical slots at land-based casinos several decades ago, and they dominate online casinos. These games tend to follow a specific theme and feature at least five reels, sharp graphics, creative soundtracks, and intricate features, such as sticky wilds, cascading reels, expanding reels, stacked wilds, and bonus rounds.
- Megaways Slots: Big Time Gaming created the Megaways slots feature in 2015, and it is now licensed to many slot providers. It allows them to offer more than 100,000 paylines on a single slot, which exponentially increases the number of potential ways to win, while also creating an impressive visual spectacle.
- Bonus Buy Slots: You can sometimes pay a fee to skip straight to the bonus round of an online slot. These games are known as bonus buy slots or buy bonus slots. Activating the buy bonus feature can change the slot’s Return to Player (RTP) rate.
- Jackpot Slots: Some slots have a progressive jackpot feature. A portion of every bet placed goes into the progressive jackpot slot pool, which grows until one player lands the top prize. There are also fixed jackpot games.
The best social and sweepstakes online casinos in Hawaii host slots from the same software providers that supply real money casino sites. The top studios include NetEnt, Red Tiger, IGT, Pragmatic Play, High 5, and Play’n Go. Some social casinos, such as Chumba Casino and LuckyLand Slots, develop their own exclusive slots, which gives them a point of difference.
Table Games in Hawaii
You can often play table games at social and sweepstakes casinos online in Hawaii. Some sites offer just two or three games—typically blackjack and video poker—but others offer a large suite of virtual table games. Sweeptastic stands out for its wide variety of high-quality virtual table games. These are some of your options:
You may also be able to play live dealer table games. In that case, there is no need to rely upon a random number generator to dictate the results. Instead, you will link up with a real dealer in a studio and can watch the action unfold in real time. A chat box will allow you to interact with the dealer.
More Hawaii Online Casino Games
Most titles at Hawaii online casinos can be categorized as slots or table games. However, some fall outside those groups. These are some of the options at certain social and sweepstakes casinos:
- Scratchcards
- Slingo, bingo and keno
- Virtual sports
- Crash games and other variety games
History of Gambling in Hawaii
It’s pretty cut and dry—Hawaii has never passed legislation to permit gambling of any kind. It is one of just two states, along with Utah, that does not have a state lottery. Pari-mutuel wagering is also outlawed, along with sports wagering, DFS, casino gaming, and poker. Sweepstakes casinos can operate, as they are not technically considered real money gambling sites. They just need to comply with the state’s sweepstakes regulations.
Several attempts to relax Hawaii’s gambling laws have failed in recent years. HB 1815, launched in January 2022, proposed to roll out a legal sports betting industry, but it quickly died after failing to garner support. Another bill launched that month, HB 1962, sought to legalize casino gaming, but it suffered the same fate.
In 2023, HB 344 was introduced, but this bill also died in committee after failing to convince lawmakers of the merits of a legal sports betting industry. Other bills, including HB 1107, SB 2571, and SB 595, simply aimed to create a task force to explore the potential impact of sports betting, but they too died.
Historically, many Hawaiians have headed to Nevada to gamble. In 2023, State Sen. Stanley Chang introduced a bill called SB 935, which aimed to ban Nevada casino companies from advertising online and on TV in Hawaii.
Hawaii Online Casinos – Bottom Line
We do not expect to see Hawaii legalize real money online casino gaming any time soon. The state legislature has always taken a strict anti-gambling stance, and that was evident when several recent bills seeking to legalize sports betting were defeated.
In Hawaii, your best option is to play games for fun at a social casino. You can also bid for cash prizes during promotional play if you unlock Sweeps Coins at sites like WOW Vegas, Pulsz, and High 5 Casino. Just hit the “PLAY NOW” button next to one of the sites we have featured to claim the no deposit welcome bonus today.
More Resources for Hawaii Online Gamblers
Hawaii Online Casinos FAQ
No, Hawaii is one of just two states to explicitly prohibit all forms of real money gambling, along with Utah. However, online social casinos are legally available in Hawaii, and players can win cash prizes via sweepstakes play.
Yes, online casino players can use Sweeps Coins on slots and table games, and they will convert to cash prizes if players accumulate enough SC. Operators just need to comply with state and federal sweepstakes and contest laws.
No. Several lawmakers have spearheaded bills seeking to legalize sports betting over the past few years, but all the bills have died in committee after failing to gain traction. Bills seeking to legalize casino gaming have suffered a similar fate.
There are no land-based casinos in Hawaii, as state law prohibits gambling. Some lawmakers have filed bills seeking to legalize casinos in the state, citing the number of Hawaiians that visit Nevada to gamble each year, but such bills haven’t gained the requisite support.
Hawaii does not have an official legal gambling age, as no forms of gambling have been legalized in the state. However, you can sign up with a social casino or sweepstakes online casino. The minimum age at most sweepstakes casinos is 18, but some require you to be 21 or older.
You can play slots, table games, video poker, live dealer games, and variety games if you sign up with a social casino site or a sweepstakes casino in Hawaii. They offer many of the same games found at real money online casinos in other jurisdictions, but you can play for fun. Some also offer Sweeps Coins, giving you the chance to compete for cash prizes during promotional play.
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