City passes set of bills to aid crack down on illegal game rooms

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi plans to sign three bills that will further the crack down on illegal gambling.

The bills were passed on Wednesday by the city council.

Bill 11 will introduce a permit system to help track electronic gambling devices and will establish penalties for non-compliance.

Electronic gambling devices are machines that require the insertion of money, tokens, credits, or other valuable consideration.

Businesses who have gambling devices on display at their establishments must have required permits first and then publicly display those permits.

Bill 12 allows city building officials to deny, suspend, or revoke permits if a property is cited for gambling violations.

Bill 13 will allow property owners or landlords to request HPD officers assist with property inspections and evictions.