An omnibus bill currently being voted on in Congress, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. (H.R. 1), poses what is likely to be an existential threat to the livelihoods of professional gamblers.
A provision in the bill would change the tax code to only allow bettors to deduct only 90% of gambling losses against their winnings.
This means that a bettor who wins $1,000,000 in a year against $950,000 in losses would be on the hook for taxes on $100,000 in taxable income, compared to the $50,000 of taxable income they’d currently show. It could more than triple tax bills for some bettors.
But the sudden outcry from gamblers hasn’t gone unnoticed. U.S. Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.) has said she’s proposing changes in the language of the bill that “fairly treats gaming losses in the tax code.”
There’s an informal goal to have the bill approved by Friday, July 4. Which means that you don’t have much time to make your voice heard.
We’re asking you to take the following steps to help fight against this change.
Step 1: Find your congressional representatives
Find your representative at one of the links below. You will have to search by ZIP Code and then address for the House, and by state for the Senate.
Once you find your reps, look for these contact buttons:
Step 2: Copy and paste this message into an email
Dear [Representative/Senator] [Last Name],
I am writing as a constituent and professional gambler to urge you to vote NO on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1, 119th Congress) when it comes before your chamber.
The Senate-amended text now returning to the House includes a provision that caps the deduction of gambling losses at 90 percent and limits those deductions to the amount of gains in the same year. Today, gamblers may offset 100 percent of losses against winnings.
Why this matters:
• The cap creates “phantom income,” forcing taxpayers to pay income tax on money they never actually keep. A gambler who has a net winning year could still owe taxes far beyond their actual, realized profits.
• Thousands of professional sports bettors, poker players, and advantage gamblers, many of whom operate as Schedule C small businesses, would be driven out of business, wiping out real taxable income and the jobs that depend on it.
• States like Nevada, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania could lose thousands of gaming-related jobs and millions of dollars in tax revenue, wiping out any modest gain to the federal coffers.
• The measure simply penalizes those who treat gambling as a lawful profession or supplemental income.
Please, vote NO on H.R. 1 (One Big Beautiful Bill Act) in its current form; or
Support efforts to restore the full deductibility of gambling losses, such as the fix proposed by Rep. Dina Titus (NV-1).
Protecting the regulated gaming industry protects jobs, tax revenue, and the livelihoods of constituents like me. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
[Your Full Name]
[Street Address]
[City, State ZIP]
[Email] | [Phone]
Step 3: Call your representatives
Phone calls are often more effective than emails. Call and politely repeat your concerns. Representative phone numbers can be found by state and last name on House.gov, or on your state’s contact page on Senate.gov.
