Rep. Titus Eyes Fast-Track of Gambling Loss Deduction Bill

• Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) recently urged Republican leadership to fast-track her FAIR BET Act
• The bill restores the provision that allows professional gamblers and sports bettors to deduct 100% of their losses from their taxes 
• The House Ways and Means Committee passed the bill in September by a vote of 38-5

Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) is urging Republican leadership to fast-track her Fair Accounting for Income Realized from Betting Earnings Taxation Act (FAIR BET) to restore a provision that allows professional gambling and sports bettors to deduct 100% of their losses from their taxes.

Titus recently sent a letter to House Republican leadership urging it to include the act in “must-pass” legislation when the House reconvenes this week.

“Enactment of this bipartisan provision would correct an unfair change in the tax code and provide needed certainty to taxpayers, businesses, and regulated gaming markets across the country,” Titus wrote in the letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA).

Moving Bill Forward

The House Ways and Means Committee passed the FAIR BET Act in September by a 38-5 vote, but the legislation now awaits House leadership to bring it to a floor vote.

Titus initially introduced the Fair Accounting for Income Realized from Betting Earnings Taxation Act (FAIR BET) in July 2025 after President Donald Trump’s (R) One Big Beautiful Act (OBBA) was signed into law. Included in President Trump’s massive piece of legislation was a change to the Internal Revenue Code that only allows professional gamblers to deduct 90% of their losses in a year, down from 100%.

Under the OBBA, if a professional gambler wins $1,000,000 in a single year, but also loses $1,000,000, they will only be able to deduct $900,000 in losses from their taxes. This means they will have to pay taxes on the $100,000 they cannot deduct, as if they had won the money.

Titus’s bill attempts to restore the provision that allows professional gamblers and sports bettors to deduct 100% of their losses from their taxes.

“As Congress returns from recess and turns to end-of-year legislation, I respectfully urge Leadership to expeditiously bring a gambling loss deduction fix to the House floor and include it in a must-pass legislative vehicle,” Titus said.

Long Road For Act

The standalone piece of legislation struggled to gain after being introduced traction. Titus attempted to include the legislation in the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a common practice for politicians to ensure their own laws are passed, but failed to do so.

The House Ways and Means vote is a step in the right direction to approval, but still needs to pass through the House and then the Senate before potentially being considered by President Trump.

She urged the bill’s approval and signing into law, as the 90% deduction is an unfair burden for professional gamblers and casual players alike.