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COMMON TYPES OF
GAMBLING ON OAHU
COCKFIGHTING
Cockfighting is a brutal game where two roosters fight with razor sharp blades or gaffs, tied to their legs. Cockfights are bloody and result in the death of one or both roosters.
Picture of the losing rooster
in a cockfight.
(Note the gaff on the left
leg.)
Cockfighting season is from November through July. During this time, fights occur almost every weekend at numerous locations around the island. The number of fights drastically drops off after July when the birds begin to molt. During the cockfighting season, large organized fights called derbies occur with 200-300 people in attendance.
Picture
of part of a derby-sized cockfight.
Despite the fact that these fights are illegal due to violations of the cruelty to animals law and laws prohibiting the possession of gaffs, these derbies have a carnival-like atmosphere with vending booths and entire families attending. Gambling at any cockfight is always present with large amounts of money being wagered.
CASINOS
Illegal casinos are often small rooms with two or three tables operating. The most common types of gambling tables are baccarat, blackjack, and a version of stud poker called pepito. Although these rooms tend to be small in size, large sums of money, often in the tens of thousands of dollars, are won and lost daily.
VIDEO POKER/SLOT MACHINES
Also prevalent are rooms that operate illegal video poker or video slot machines. These illegal machines operate just like those in Las Vegas casinos where credits are accumulated and cashed in for money.
BOOKMAKING
"Bookmaking" means advancing gambling activity by accepting bets from members of the public upon the outcomes of future contingent events.
CARACRUZ
Caracruz is played by two persons. Each person flips a coin and bets on whether the two coins will match heads or tails. Although this is a very simple game, there are large organized games where hundreds of dollars are wagered on each flip of the coins.
INTERNET GAMBLING
The incidence of Internet gambling is increasing in Hawaii. In these Internet casinos are full-scale video versions of common games that are found in all casinos.
The Internet sites are often based outside the United States where such gambling activity is legal. Although this activity may be legal there, participating in it from Hawaii is illegal and the Gambling Detail is currently working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the investigation of these types of cases.
