Dana White Calls on Trump to Repeal Gambling Loss Tax Cap

Dana White, president of the UFC, sent a public letter to President Trump on May 13 with a call to repeal the 90% cap on gambling loss deductions introduced in last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The letter, dated May 11 and first reported by The Closing Line, argues the provision pushes bettors toward unregulated operators and damages the legal market.

The cap, signed into law on July 4, 2025, limits the deductibility of gambling losses to 90%. Under current rules, a bettor who records $500,000 in winnings and $500,000 in losses in the same year owes tax as though they earned $50,000. The 2026 tax year is the first subject to the cap; filings are due April 15, 2027.

“When legal betting is discouraged, it hurts the ecosystem we’ve spent years building in partnership with state regulators and licensed operators,” White wrote. “Fixing this deduction issue would send a strong signal that the United States supports common-sense regulation.”

White’s Personal and Business Stake

White has direct personal exposure to the rule. The Hollywood Reporter reported gambling debts of up to $50 million owed to one casino company, a claim White disputed. At that scale of play, a break-even year generates a tax bill on millions in phantom income.

His business interests point in the same direction. The UFC holds multiple events in Las Vegas each year and was among the first sports properties to feature live betting odds in its broadcasts. In November 2025, the league signed a deal with prediction market Polymarket for odds integration.

Congressional Efforts Stall

Congressional attempts to repeal the cap have stalled. Rep. Dina Titus introduced the FAIR BET Act in July 2025, but attempts to attach it to must-pass legislation failed twice. Rep. Tom Cole, chair of the House Appropriations Committee, added bipartisan support to Titus’s bill in January 2026, but it has not advanced.

The bipartisan FULL HOUSE Act, reintroduced the same month by Reps. Steven
Horsford and Max Miller, has also stalled.

White’s letter drew praise from the same Democrats who led the repeal effort. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto wrote on X that she agrees with White and called on Trump to “fix this now.” Rep. Titus said she believes the letter “will help.”

Trump was non-committal when asked about the provision in December 2025, according to Sportico: “I don’t know. I’m gonna have to think about that.” The White House did not respond to a comment request, and UFC confirmed the letter but declined further comment.

A UFC event at the White House is set for June 14, a sign of White’s direct access to the president.

TGJ Take

White’s letter moved repeal odds further in days than a year of Congressional
action managed. For US-facing operators and affiliates, the next six months are
the real window. A repeal before December 31 spares bettors from a tax hit on
their entire 2026 results, which protects handle volume and operator revenue. If
the cap survives into 2027, expect high-frequency bettors to shift toward
offshore books, exactly the outcome state regulators have long worked to prevent.
The June 14 White House UFC event is the next concrete opportunity for Trump to
make a public commitment either way.