Police arrest 3 in Honolulu game room raid

An illegal game room operating out of a home in Honolulu was raided Tuesday for the second time in two years. Police arrested three people and seized 15 digital gaming machines valued at $135,000.

Officers with the Honolulu Police Department’s Narcotics/Vice Division’s Gambling Detail executed a search warrant at 1122 Kamaile St., where a previous raid occurred in 2021. Police said they seized 12 Fish Hunter gaming machines, three Pot O’ Gold machines, $2,300 in cash and a handgun.

According to the city’s Real Property Assessment Division, the six-bedroom home was built in 1954 and has a total net taxable value of nearly $1.4 million. The property owner did not immediately reply to a Honolulu Star-Advertiser request for comment today.

During the Tuesday raid, police arrested a 44-year-old man on suspicion of promoting gambling in the second degree and possession of gambling devices. Two other people were arrested on suspicion of promoting gambling in the second degree.

According to HPD, narcotics vice officers shut down 50 illegal game rooms in 2021 and seized 713 gaming machines. Police have executed search warrants and shut down 24 illegal gambling operations so far this year.