It doesn’t have a hearing scheduled yet, but there is a bill to allow lotteries in Hawaii.

It was introduced last Friday by Joe Souki, the speaker of the House of Representatives, who said recently that a lottery for the state is a distinct possibility.

House Bill 1830 authorizes the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs to license a single operator for a lottery, including keno.

Speaker Joe Souki.

Cory Lum/Civil Beat

A lottery, according to the legislation, would benefit people in this way:

• enhancing their opportunity for educational advancement;
• relieving or protecting them from disease, suffering, or distress;
• contributing to their physical well-being;
• assisting them in establishing themselves in life as worthy and useful citizens;
• providing them with opportunities to contribute to the betterment of the community; or
• increasing their comprehension of and devotion to the principles upon which this nation was founded.

The revenue, meanwhile, could be used for these purposes:

• initiating, performing, or fostering worthy public works or enabling or furthering the erection or maintenance of public structures;
• lessening the burdens borne by government or voluntarily supporting, augmenting, or supplementing services that government would normally render to the people; or
• providing tax relief for the community.

It’s a very detailed proposal, suggesting that the idea has support.

The bill’s backers include Vice Speaker John Mizuno and Finance Chair Sylvia Luke.

Mizuno said Sen. Will Espero plans to introduce a similar measure on the other side of the Capitol