Judge rules in city’s favor on gambling device seizures

News Release from City and County of Honolulu, March 9, 2017

The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled in favor of the City and County of Honolulu, rejecting the appeal in a civil lawsuit against the city over the seizure of gambling devices by the Honolulu Police Department and Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

According to today’s ruling, the Honolulu Department of the Corporation Counsel successfully argued that the “Products Direct Sweepstakes terminals that the Honolulu Police Department seized from plaintiffs’ arcades constituted ‘gambling devices’ within the meaning of Hawaii Revised Statute section 712-1220.”

The ruling concluded “that the terminals were not used to buy discount coupons but rather to ‘stake or risk something of value’ for the potential cash prize.”

The Ninth Circuit rejected the appeal by the arcade owners and affirmed United States District Court Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi’s April 30, 2014 ruling that the Products Direct Sweepstakes devices seized are illegal gambling devices.

PDF: Ninth Circuit Ruling

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