City officials say they oppose a state legislator's suggestion that legalized electronic gambling in Waikiki and other urban areas might help generate revenue for the state.

On Tuesday, state Sen. Donna Mercado Kim said she may propose a bill this session to allow electronic gambling such as slot machines in resort communities to create a new revenue stream.

Kim, chairwoman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, said the bill would likely be limited to Honolulu and to designated sites such as hotels.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann on Tuesday said he would oppose any effort to legalize gambling in Waikiki or anywhere else on O'ahu.

"I've had a history of being opposed to gambling. I would be hard-pressed to support that," Hannemann said. "I've always been concerned with the social cost and what it would do to our community."

Hawai'i and Utah are the only states without legalized gambling. Bills to legalize gambling are usually proposed at every session of the Legislature but routinely fail.

"Everyone knows my longtime opposition to gambling. I was using (it) as an example that we just need to leave everything on the table because not everybody feels the way I do," said Gov. Linda Lingle, speaking yesterday at the groundbreaking of the University of Hawai'i-West O'ahu campus. "I've opposed gambling since my earliest days as a council member. I haven't changed my opinion one bit. But you don't want to go into a discussion with legislators telling them what you would accept or not, and that's what I meant by leaving everything on the table."

City officials, including Police Chief Boisse P. Correa and City Councilman Romy M. Cachola, said they would oppose any proposal to legalize gambling on O'ahu, citing the social costs that come with that.

Correa said any form of gambling brings crime and corruption with it.

"Gambling is not the answer to economic woes," Correa said Tuesday. "It's just bringing in crime, corruption and social problems that we don't want in our community."

Cachola said Honolulu could never compete with residents' affinity for Las Vegas and that the harm associated with gambling would outweigh the benefit.

"People could end up gambling away their salaries and that can lead to further problems," Cachola said.

City Councilman Charles K. Djou said he is not opposed to the idea but does not think that legalizing a few forms of gambling would generate enough money for the city and state to outweigh the negative impact.

"I'm not completely opposed to it, he said, but we should examine legalizing gambling everywhere throughout the state and we need to do it with eyes open about the enormous social costs that come with legalization," Djou said.