Illegal Pass Card Game Provides Vital Income Amid High Youth Unemployment in Solomon Islands

TL;DR In Honiara, Solomon Islands, the illegal card game Pass offers critical income to many facing high youth unemployment rates, despite ongoing police efforts to curb its spread.

The card game Pass flourishes in Honiara, Solomon Islands, operating outside legal regulations. Players are dealt seven cards, aiming to be the first to discard all of them by playing sequential numbers. With up to 30 rounds an hour, large sums exchange hands rapidly. Dozens of hidden gambling sites have appeared across the city. Authorities actively attempt to suppress the game, yet its popularity grows among a diverse player base.

Youth unemployment in Honiara presents a significant challenge, with rates fluctuating between 12% and 15%. This economic reality drives many, particularly young people seeking opportunities, towards informal income sources. One teacher, Irene, earned SBD$500 (approximately $62 or £45) in a single week playing Pass, a sum that nearly matched her $600 teacher's salary. Game operators capitalize on this demand; Gordon, for example, reports weekly earnings of SBD$12,000 per table. His three tables collectively generate SBD$30,000 in total turnover each week, underscoring the game's substantial economic footprint.

The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) established "Operation Stopem Gambling" to combat Pass, citing its potential to lead to social and family problems like domestic violence over money. These efforts have included multiple raids, with 34 gamblers arrested in one instance in the western suburb of Rove. While players risk conviction and a $100 fine, no records indicate any player has been sentenced. Despite police warnings and continued operations to dismantle tents and tables used for the game, Pass continues to proliferate. For many Solomon Islanders, the game serves as a direct, albeit illegal, means of survival, offering a path to cash in an economy with limited formal employment opportunities.

Observers will continue to watch how authorities balance law enforcement against the economic realities driving participation in these pervasive informal income streams.