TLDR Dana White sent a letter to Trump asking him to roll back a new federal limit on gambling loss deductions The 2025 tax law now only allows gamblers to deduct 90% of losses instead of the previous 100% Some bettors who break even or lose money could still face a federal tax bill under the new rules White argues the cap hurts Nevada’s tourism economy and undermines the “No Tax on Tips” message The legal gambling industry warns the change pushes bettors toward unregulated offshore sportsbooks
UFC president Dana White has written directly to President Donald Trump asking him to reverse a tax change that limits how much gamblers can deduct in losses. The provision, part of the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act, has become a growing concern across the legal gambling industry.
Under the old rules, gamblers in the United States could deduct 100 percent of their losses against their winnings. That meant a bettor who won and lost the same amount in a year owed no federal tax on gambling income.
The new law changed that. Now only 90 percent of losses can be deducted.
That 10 percent gap creates a real problem. A high-volume bettor who breaks even over the course of a year could still owe taxes on money they never actually kept. Professional sports bettors and poker players were among the first to raise concerns.
White framed the issue as something that goes well beyond individual gamblers. He pointed to the ripple effects on Nevada’s broader economy, where big gamblers often spend heavily on hotels, restaurants, entertainment, and tips for service workers.
White Ties the Issue to Trump’s Own Policy Goals
The UFC president made a political argument alongside the economic one. He connected the tax cap to Trump’s “No