Hawaii: Lawmakers Say No to Casinos - 25th February 2010

Legislators killed a bill on Wednesday that would have allowed a casino in tourist-filled Waikiki. A second measure allowing gambling on Hawaiian homelands will not get a vote after the House Finance Committee scuttled the idea. Gambling interests pitched casinos as a way to help rejuvenate the tourism industry and to bring $86 million a year in tax revenue to a state facing a projected $1.2 billion deficit. But opponents argued a casino would eat up tourist money, tarnish the state’s family-friendly image and increase crime.