Hawaii has eight main islands, but locals talk about a ninth one in the Nevada desert. The story of how Las Vegas became a home away from home for islanders is a story about casinos, comfort food and charter flights.
Ask around in Honolulu and you will quickly meet someone who goes to Las Vegas every year, sometimes several times a year. The nickname "the ninth island" captures how normal that trip has become for island families. It rests on a simple legal fact: Hawaii has no casinos, no state lottery and no legal sports betting, so anyone who wants to play has to travel, and Las Vegas has made itself the most welcoming destination.
A downtown hotel that bet on Hawaii
The connection is usually traced to the California Hotel and Casino on Ogden Avenue in downtown Las Vegas, opened in 1975 by Sam Boyd, whose family company later became Boyd Gaming. Boyd had spent time in Hawaii earlier in his career, and when the new hotel needed a steady stream of guests, the company began marketing heavily to the islands. It offered package trips with its own charter flights, a familiar welcome and, crucially, food that tasted like home.
Decades later the "Cal" is still known for island touches: menus with oxtail soup, saimin and loco moco, a store stocking Hawaiian snacks, and staff who are used to hearing pidgin English at the tables. Boyd-owned neighbours on and near Fremont Street share some of that following.
Why islanders keep going
- Gaming – slots, table games, poker rooms and sportsbooks that simply do not exist at home.
- Price – packages that bundle flights and rooms can cost less than a week in a Waikiki hotel.
- Family – Nevada has a large community of former Hawaii residents who moved for cheaper housing, so a Vegas trip is often also a family visit.
- Shopping and shows – outlet malls and headline entertainment round out the trip.
The ninth island today
Census figures show tens of thousands of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders living in the Las Vegas area, and Hawaiian restaurants, festivals and canoe clubs are part of the city's life. Shaved ice stands and plate-lunch spots far from the ocean are a small sign of how deep the link goes.
If you are visiting Waikiki and wondering why there is no casino on Kalakaua Avenue, our explainer on Hawaii's gambling laws covers the background. For the practical side of the journey, see our guide to planning a Honolulu-to-Las Vegas trip.
Top photo: The California Hotel and Casino in downtown Las Vegas, long popular with visitors from Hawaii. Photo: Shelby L. Bell from Omaha, NE, US, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
