U.S. Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) is pressing the House Ways and Means Committee to advance her FAIR BET Act, which would restore the federal gambling loss deduction to 100% after the One Big Beautiful Bill, signed by President Trump on July 4, 2025, reduced the write-off to 90%. The bill has bipartisan support from 26 House co-sponsors and a companion Senate measure backed by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), but neither bill has received a floor vote more than a year after introduction.
U.S. Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) continues to push the House Ways and Means Committee to include her FAIR BET Act in its upcoming legislative agenda. The bill seeks to restore the federal gambling loss deduction to 100%. Casino.org first reported the story on September 15, 2026.
The FAIR BET (Fair Accounting for Income Realized from Betting Earnings Taxation) Act targets a provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill, signed by President Donald Trump on July 4, 2025. That law reduced the gambling loss write-off from 100% to 90%, ending a long-standing tax provision that allowed gamblers to deduct all losses against winnings for federal tax purposes.
How the 90% Cap Works
Under the current 90% limit, a gambler who wins $100,000 during the year but also loses $100,000 would still owe federal taxes on $10,000. Titus and other lawmakers describe this as “phantom income.” The deduction previously offset winnings dollar for dollar.
“As Ways and Means considers an onslaught of new tax bills this week, I urge my colleagues to include a fix to restore the 100% tax deduction for gambling losses,” Titus said, according to Casino.org. “We just need to get this done. I will not stop fighting until we finally see this over the finish line.”
The FAIR BET Act has 26 co-sponsors in the House: 11 Republicans alongside Titus and 14 other Democrats, Casino.org reported.
In the Senate, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) filed a companion bill called the FULL HOUSE Act (Facilitating Useful Loss Limitations to Help Our Unique Service Economy). Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) co-sponsored the measure.
Cruz called restoring the gambling deduction “a matter of basic fairness,” stating it ensures that “gamblers are taxed on what they actually earn,” according to Casino.org.
More Than a Year Without a Floor Vote
Despite bipartisan backing, neither the FAIR BET Act nor the FULL HOUSE Act has received a floor vote more than a year after introduction. Senate Republican leaders blocked the FULL HOUSE Act largely on procedural grounds, citing the constitutional requirement that tax bills originate in the House, Casino.org reported.
Competing Bills and Committee Delays
Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith (R-MO) has said he supports restoring the deduction to 100% but prefers a separate bill, Rep. Andy Barr’s (R-KY) WAGER (Winnings and Gains Expense Restoration) Act, which would accomplish the same goal. Smith has not placed the WAGER Act on the committee’s calendar in more than a year, since it was introduced in July 2025, according to Casino.org.
Why the 90% Cap Was Enacted
The Senate Finance Committee included the reduced gambling deduction in the One Big Beautiful Bill because it believed many high-stakes gamblers were evading federal taxes by using the full 100% deduction. By capping the write-off at 90%, proponents argued the provision would guarantee those gamblers pay at least a minimum tax to the federal government, Casino.org reported.
Legislative Calendar Constraints
Congress faces a limited legislative calendar with several pressing issues, including defense, appropriations and crypto-related bills. That adds uncertainty to when either the FAIR BET Act or the WAGER Act might advance to a vote.
