Senate Bill could make professional gambling impossible in the US
JD Vance vote pushes through Senate amendment that could seriously hurt US poker players.
The U.S. Senate voted through an amendment to the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ yesterday by the smallest margin possible. It was Trump’s right-hand man JD Vance, the Ohio representative in the Senate, who put through the deciding vote, meaning the bill was passed by 215 to 214 votes.
In the United States, gambling taxes are an extremely serious matter, and the financial implications of yesterday’s Senate amendments are wide-ranging and potentially hugely damaging to professional poker players. With tax now applicable even in a losing period, it is possible that poker professionals who have marginally winning years could effectively lose money.
As it stands, the bill would mean that starting from 2026, gambling losses are now only 90% deductible, meaning that if you won $100,000 and lost $100,000 in the same year period, you’d actually be charged $10,000 on supposed income that in reality doesn’t exist.
Plenty of poker players have wandered into the debate, but at this stage, no-one seems to be on the side of the current incumbent of the White House. This represents something of a sea-change in poker terms, with players largely split between voting for Harris or Trump when it came to the most recent election in 2024. Back in November, Trump’s 49.8% of the popular vote to Harris’ 48.3% and 312 electoral votes to 226 meant he won a convincing re-election to the White House after previously being elected in 2016.
The end of gambling in the US?
The new amendments don’t just promise to permanently limit the deduction of gambling losses to 90% of gambling winnings, they threaten the income of professionals and the allure of amateurs’ big winnings. If a recreational player broke even over the year playing a lot of poker, they would now owe 10% on their ‘winnings’.
There’s a possibility that the bill that has been marginally approved in the Senate will fail in the House of Representatives. The legislative process is not over, but nor is that the case the other way around. Additional federal excise tax could yet be included as a policy option and would significantly increase tax gathered on bets across America, potentially hiking rake, registration fees and other extra costs associated with live poker tournaments.
At present, losses can fully offset poker winnings in gambling, including poker. Under the new bill, gambling loss deductions would be reduced to 90% of winnings, effectively ensuring that at least 10% of any winnings are subject to taxation.
Of course, the people always have a right to reply in the land of the free and in a post shared by Phil Galfond, advice was given for individual poker players to talk to their GOP Congressman or House representative, whilst being respectful.
This new amendment to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act would end professional gambling in the US and hurt casual gamblers, too.
You could pay more in tax than you won.
Contact your representative quickly. pic.twitter.com/U5yToBZDcQ
— Phil Galfond (@PhilGalfond) July 1, 2025
With a potentially long road ahead, poker players may once again find themselves taking on the house in a bid for control over their future.
