Titus Urges Restoring Full Gambling Loss Deductions
Nevada Rep. Dina Titus asks House leaders to include the FAIR BET Act in must-pass legislation to reverse a tax cut to gambling loss write-offs.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Gambling
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Rep. Dina Titus sent a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise urging them to restore full deductions for gambling losses. The One Big Beautiful Bill lowered the deduction to 90%, and the FAIR BET Act, which would reverse that change, passed out of committee in September.
Why it matters
Under the lowered deduction, a bettor with $100,000 in winnings and losses would be taxed on $10,000 more than under the prior code, which allowed a full deduction. The change could discourage professional gamblers and casual sports bettors from wagering in the U.S. and push them toward illegal or offshore markets.
The One Big Beautiful Bill cut the gambling loss deduction to 90%, down from the full deduction allowed under the prior tax code. In the cited example, $10,000 of a $100,000 winnings-and-losses scenario becomes taxable, and whether House leaders will act on the FAIR BET Act remains unresolved.
The players
Dina Titus
Democratic U.S. Representative from Nevada, who has pressed for restoring full gambling loss deductions.
Mike Johnson
Republican Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, the recipient of Titus's letter.
Steve Scalise
Republican House Majority Leader, the second recipient of Titus's letter on the deduction change.
The details
Titus's letter asks that language from the FAIR BET Act, which passed out of committee in September, be added to legislation that must pass Congress. The letter was addressed to House Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise after the November midterm elections.
Timeline
September 2026: The FAIR BET Act passed out of committee.
November 2026: Midterm elections were held, and Titus sent her letter to House leadership.
January 2027: Democrats will take control of the new Congress.
Legal Context
The One Big Beautiful Bill reduced the gambling loss deduction to 90%, departing from the prior code's full deduction for losses. Titus's push to reverse that cut through the FAIR BET Act reflects a live dispute over how gambling losses are taxed nationally.
Bettors who report large winnings face a higher tax bill under the 90% deduction than they did under the prior full deduction. The change could also shift wagering toward offshore and illegal sportsbooks that offer no U.S. tax reporting.
The takeaway
Gamblers who track their losses should keep careful records, since the deduction limit affects how much of their winnings is taxed. Watching for whether the FAIR BET Act is attached to must-pass legislation will show whether the tax change is reversed.
What happens next
Democrats will take control of the new Congress in January 2027, which will shape whether the FAIR BET Act advances.
Further reading
For more on the rules and culture around betting, see the Gambling section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by KSNV.
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