Dana White urges Trump to lift 90% cap on gambling loss deductions

Dana White sent a letter to President Donald Trump asking him to reverse the 90% limit on gambling losses that became law last year with the passing of the Big Beautiful Bill.

White begins the letter with some flattery of Trump, thanking him for getting the bill across the finish line. He indicates that overall, he is a fan of the wide-ranging budget changes it enacted. But he then asks Trump to reverse the 90% limit on gambling loss deductions.

He states that the current law “makes it irrational to bet in the United States,” citing the possibility that a bettor could end up owing taxes even when they lose.

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Effect on the UFC

The Ultimate Fighting Championship president then gets into his main impetus for writing the letter, the effects on his business. He says the UFC supports a healthy, legal sports betting market that gets fans more involved. But he says that when legal betting is discouraged, it hurts the ecosystem of licensed betting operators.

White ends the letter by saying Trump could show himself as a supporter of fighters and American business if he reverses the decision.

White is trying to leverage his good relationship with Trump to reverse something that is likely hurting the UFC by reducing the betting on its bouts.

Trump has attended multiple UFC events in the past and met with White when he has done so. Most recently, he turned up at UFC 327 in Miami. The two public figures have a long history together. White supported all three of Trump’s presidential bids and was present at his 2025 inauguration.

Can White Succeed Where Others Have Failed?

The 90% tax in the Big Beautiful Bill is widely hated among professional gamblers, poker players, and more. There have been numerous attempts to reverse that provision. Bills such as Rep. Dina Titus’ FAIR BET Act and the FULL HOUSE Act presented by Rep. Steven Horsford have failed to get off the ground.

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto also has a bipartisan bill matching the latter in the Senate, which she mentioned in response to White’s letter.

Even those who do not like White are hopeful that his relationship with Trump and his ability to have the president’s ear will bring the best chance yet to reverse the provision.

Despite ideological and political differences, Rep. Titus applauded White for keeping the pressure on Trump.

Thank you @danawhite for keeping up the pressure on@POTUS to restore the 100% tax deduction for gambling losses. I’ve led the fight here in Congress to get this fixed with bipartisan support. We cannot postpone this issue any longer.

One sports bettor opined that White has a better chance to effect change than U.S. legislators:

Kinda crazy that this letter from Dana White will probably have more of an impact than current law makers trying to appeal this issue.

If this gets done, Dana is the 🐐

Image credit: Andrius Petrucenia / Wikimedia Commons (license)

Jeffrey McMillan

Poker Writer

Jeffrey is an Expert Sports and Poker Writer with poker being his specific scope for the better part of five years. He has worked in various capacities at the biggest poker events in the world, WSOP, EPT, local tournaments and more. He has worked with PokerNews, Poker.Org, 888poker and the WSOP itself through the years. Jeff is also a fervent follower of many sports, professional, collegiate and international, with a particular interest in tennis. He received a Master's in Sports Management from the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) and a Bachelors in the same field from Clemson University.