Poker Writer
U.S. Rep. Dina Titus announced on Tuesday that the GOP-controlled rules committee had rejected the addition of her FAIR BET Act as an amendment to the defense spending bill. That will come as a disappointment to many in the poker world who were hoping to see unpopular changes to gambling taxation reversed.
This rejection of the amendment negated the positive momentum established by a town hall held by Rep. Titus in mid-August. The town hall discussed the negative aspects of the Trump administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) on gambling and the importance of the FAIR BET Act in reversing the gambling portion of the bill.
The likelihood of the repeal spiked on Kalshi markets at the end of August as more and more people began to speak out in favor of the FAIR BET Act. That same Kalshi market dropped to as low as 17% in the hours following the announcement of the rejection.
The best chance for the FAIR Bet Act to succeed was through inclusion in a larger must-pass bill, such as the National Defense Authorization Act.
But despite her best attempts, Rep. Titus confirmed the amendment had been rejected. She added;
This was an easy fix that should have been adopted. Nonetheless, I will continue to build support to restore the 100% gambling loss deduction.
Reaction to Amendment Rejection
The reaction from gamblers, particularly those in the poker world, to the rejection was disappointment. Several talked about how it would be a serious blow to tournament poker players. Poker pro and WPT host Tony Dunst shared his thoughts.
Not looking good for American poker players. Much thanks to the party of small government! https://t.co/9ETlLcX8JR
— TonyDunstTV (@tonydunsttv) September 9, 2025
While another user on X presented a wide view on gambling as a whole and how detrimental it could be:
This is really not good. If you do any type of gambling, professionally or recreational, just know that games will be virtually unbeatable in the United States if this doesn’t get fixed. Underground games and sportsbooks will be the only way to avoid the gov taking your money.
All hope is not entirely lost as there are other avenues to pass the FAIR BET Act. Rep. Titus mentioned she will pursue such avenues. But chances of it passing before 2026 now look much slimmer.
Who Benefits From Changes?
With so many being against the OBBB’s limiting deductions to 90% of gambling losses, the question is who benefits from it. Who are the proponents? Poker player Victoria Livschitz posed this question on X to 2024 WSOP Player of the Year winner Scott Seiver.
The seven-time WSOP bracelet winner responded that he believes online sportsbooks are the ones behind it.
Online sportsbooks. Pushing handle and volume down live is a massive win
Casinos would likely be against the changes in the OBBB as poker high-roller Dan Smith posed the question if they were helping to push the repeal.
Any guesses on next steps or how this may look in the future? Do you think casinos have been pushing for this to get overturned?
