Nevada Rep. Dina Titus will introduce the Fair Accounting for Income Realized from Betting Earnings Taxation Act (FAIR BET Act) as an amendment to the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Titus announced on X Wednesday.
Titus initially introduced the FAIR BET Act July 7 to the Committee on Ways and Means in response to President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which passed July 4. The OBBBA includes a provision that states that gamblers would only be able to deduct 90% of losses rather than the previous 100%, meaning overall losing bettors could potentially owe tax money at year’s end. The FAIR BET Act would undo the effects of the wagering loss provision in the OBBBA.
Titus’ H.R.4304 — which is only one line long — would amend the OBBBA “by striking ‘90 percent’ and inserting ‘100 percent.’” The bill is still pending in the Ways and Means Committee and currently has 10 co-sponsors.
It’s not unusual for politicians to try to push through legislation any way they can. A key law related to gambling passed in a similar fashion nearly 20 years ago. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was passed as a last-minute addition to the SAFE Port Act of 2006, with many legislators admitting afterward that they didn’t even realize they had signed a bill effectively outlawing online poker.
The two laws are otherwise unrelated, but the UIGEA passage illustrates the effectiveness of the legislative technique. The NDAA is viewed as “must-pass” legislation every year, so if Titus is successful in attaching her amendment there, passage of the FAIR BET Act becomes nearly assured.
Rep. Titus submitted the amendment to the Rules Committee for H.R. 3838 — Streamlining Procurement for Effective Execution and Delivery and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026.
“The bill mostly relates to defense matters, but does contain other legislative priorities that members submit,” Rep. Titus’ office said. “We do not know when the bill will be heard by the Rules Committee or voted on by the full house, but expect it to be in the coming weeks.”
