Police in Honolulu say officers shut down a suspected gambling room in Wahiawa after serving a search warrant that uncovered machines and cash inside the property. Investigators moved in on the location along Mala Street on Wednesday (March 11), after building a case that the site was being used for illegal gaming. When officers searched the room, they found several machines set up for play along with thousands of dollars in suspected gambling proceeds.
According to a Honolulu Police Department Facebook post, the search was carried out by the department’s Narcotics and Vice Division, working alongside the District 2 Crime Reduction Unit and the Specialized Services Division.
During the operation, officers removed ten gambling machines and seized more than five thousand dollars in cash that investigators believe was tied to the games running at the location.
Wider Honolulu police crackdown on illegal gambling amid Wahiawa raid
Police say the Wahiawa case fits into a larger pattern they have been targeting across Oʻahu. Small backroom gambling spots have continued to appear in neighborhoods, sometimes hidden inside residences or small storefronts. Investigators say the rooms often rely on electronic gaming machines and operate quietly until complaints or surveillance lead officers to step in.
In one previously reported case, officers confiscated sixteen machines and more than five thousand dollars in cash from another suspected gambling backroom. The operation also involved the department’s Narcotics and Vice investigators working with local crime reduction teams. In a separate investigation, police carried out several search warrants at different sites and arrested four people while collecting machines and cash believed to be tied to illegal gaming.
City leaders have also been trying to give law enforcement more tools to deal with the problem. In 2025, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi introduced three measures targeted at making it easier to shut down illegal gambling rooms and penalize those who run them.
One proposal links fines and penalties directly to the number of illegal gaming machines discovered during a raid. Other measures would allow authorities to close gambling rooms more quickly and encourage property owners to cooperate with police if illegal activity is found on their premises.
Hawaii continues to enforce some of the toughest anti gambling laws in the United States and it remains one of the few states without a state lottery. Because legal gambling options are largely absent, investigators say underground operations still surface across the islands. Police are asking residents to report suspected gambling rooms to the department’s Narcotics and Vice hotline as enforcement efforts continue.
Featured image: Honolulu Police via X
