President Trump Doesn’t Address OBBB Gambling Deduction Tax Change at Casino
Posted on: December 10, 2025, 07:46h.
Last updated on: December 10, 2025, 09:56h.
- President Trump appeared at the Mount Airy Casino Resort on Tuesday
- The president hyped his claims that the economy is roaring
- Trump didn’t discuss gambling tax deductions as some had hoped
President Donald Trump made his second appearance at a casino since winning the White House for a second time when he stopped by the Mount Airy Casino Resort in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains on Tuesday.
Some gamblers thought the president might address a looming change to the federal tax law that’s to become effective in 2026. A provision within the Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB) is that deductions for gambling losses against winnings will be capped at 90%. The change means if a gambler wins $100K but also loses $100K during the year, he would still need to pay federal taxes on $10K of phantom income.
Trump’s speech focused on the economy and his claims that consumers’ costs are coming down. The president didn’t discuss the gambling tax component of OBBB.
We were dead, but now we’re the hottest country in the world. Democrats gave you high prices. We’re bringing those prices down. You’re getting lower prices and bigger paychecks. The only thing that’s really going up big is the stock market and your 401K,” Trump said to his supporters in a Mount Airy Casino Resort ballroom with seating for several hundred.
“We inherited the worst inflation in our country, and we’re bringing it down,” Trump declared.
Gambling Tax
The OBBB gambling deduction isn’t a major talking point outside of gambling circles. But Trump’s appearance at the Pennsylvania casino raised hopes among the gambling public that the president would address the issue, similar to how he addressed his “No Tax on Tips” pledge in January while speaking before tipped workers in Las Vegas.
There is irony in @POTUS talking about affordability at a casino when tourism is down because of his policies, and the gaming industry struggles without a fix to the 90% tax deduction for gambling losses because of his Big, BS, Budget Bill,” opined US Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) on X.
The Tax Foundation, a think tank that analyzes federal and state tax policy, detailed an example of how the 90% gambling deduction would greatly harm professional gamblers and possibly incentivize them to move to illicit markets. They provided an example based on Daniel Negreanu, among the most successful poker players in US history.
“In the 2025 World Series of Poker, Negreanu won (cashed) $1,478,240. His buy-ins for the 2025 WSOP totaled $1,297,143, for net winnings of $181,097. Under pre-OBBBA policy, he would pay income tax on that $181,097, and, assuming Negreanu’s income is taxed at 37% (the highest income tax bracket), his income tax liability would be $67,006, resulting in take-home pay of $114,091. When his post-OBBBA losses are limited to 90%, however, his tax liability jumps to $115,000. His take-home pay is cut nearly in half to $66,097,” the Tax Foundation explained.
The federal government’s Joint Committee on Taxation projects the gambling deduction change will generate $1.1 billion in additional federal revenue over the next eight to 10 years.
Casino Visits
Trump, a former casino owner, has repeatedly made stops at casinos across the country. He’s used his network of gaming industry relationships to host rallies while on the campaign trail and to also make official White House stops.
In January, only days after being inaugurated, the president hosted an event at Circa Resort & Casino in downtown Las Vegas, where he assured gaming and hospitality workers that his “No Tax on Tips” would be included in the OBBB. Beginning with the 2025 tax year, tipped workers can deduct up to $25K of their tips from their federal income.
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