Oklahoma Senator James Lankford has opposed legislation to restore full deductions for gambling losses in the US, according to reports of his comments. Current rules allow taxpayers who itemise to deduct 90% of losses, while bills from Representatives Dina Titus and Andy Barr seek to reinstate a 100% deduction.
The proposed deduction change could affect the tax treatment of gambling winnings and losses for operators' customers.
The day’s most important stories, free. One email a day.
House Republican leaders blocked Nevada Representative Dina Titus’s amendment to restore the full federal deduction for gambling losses, according to the report. The measure would reverse a 90% cap introduced in last year’s legislation; Titus said she had submitted another amendment, while supporters are also looking to the Senate.
The US House Rules Committee declined to advance the FAIR BET Act as an amendment to the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, preventing a House floor vote, according to the report. The existing rule will limit deductible gambling losses to 90% from the 2026 tax year unless Congress acts. The bill’s future now rests with the House Ways and Means Committee or later tax legislation.
US Representative Dina Titus has asked House leadership to restore the full gambling-loss tax deduction in end-of-year legislation, according to the report. The deduction was reduced from 100% to 90%, and her FAIR BET Act passed the House Ways and Means Committee 38-5 in September; it awaits action by House leadership.
A congresswoman from Nevada, whose district covers the Las Vegas Strip, wants Republican leaders in the House to bring back the full gambling-loss deduction as the session's final weeks near. Democratic U.S. Rep. Dina Titus wrote to Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise, both of Louisiana, urging that FAIR BET language be added to any “must-pass” legislation.
Reportedly, Nevada lawmakers have renewed efforts to restore the full federal deduction for gambling losses. Representative Steven Horsford called for action over a congressional change that could create tax liabilities for gamblers who break even.
Nevada legislators are making another attempt to bring back the complete federal write-off for gambling losses. That goal has yet to be achieved, even though more than twelve months have passed since Congress made a change that can force some bettors to owe tax despite finishing even. At the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas, Democratic Representative Steven Horsford again urged action, backing a bill that would let taxpayers write off all gambling losses against winnings, capped at the amount won.
US Representative Dina Titus is urging the House Ways and Means Committee to advance the FAIR BET Act, which would restore a 100% federal deduction for gambling losses. The current rate is 90%, and the committee has not yet acted on the bill, according to the report.