Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President & CEO Dana White has issued a letter to President Donald Trump in the hopes of reversing the 90% limit on gambling loss tax deductions implemented as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA).
Since January 1, US residents who gamble during the year have been limited to deducting just 90% of their gambling losses, even if losses and winnings were to result in the same amount.
Within his letter, White stated: “I write today to raise an issue we have discussed in the past, the need to reverse the 90% limit on gaming loss deductions for US taxpayers included in the OBBBA.
“I believe Congress should fix this issue as the policy is already creating problems. The current law makes it irrational to bet in the US because you could end up owing taxes even when you lose or having a tax bill that exceeds your winnings for the year.
“Beyond that, the change has knock-on effects for businesses like mine. When legal betting is discouraged, it hurts the ecosystem we’ve spent years building in partnership with state regulators and licensed operators.”
Despite the open request issued by White, he and President Trump have typically appeared to maintain a positive relationship, with the President serving as a consistent attendee of UFC events.
White also brought attention to President Trump's No Tax on Tips policy, given the 90% limit on gambling loss tax deductions may leave bettors feeling “less generous if they even gamble at all.”
The UFC President & CEO believes the OBBA “undercuts the transparency and integrity protections” provided by the US’ legal betting industry.
“Fixing this deduction issue would send a strong signal that the US supports common-sense regulation,” White said.
“You’ve always stood up for fighters, fans and American businesses. This is another opportunity to do exactly that.”
In early March, the UFC and bet365 entered into a new multi-year agreement, naming the operator as the UFC’s official sports betting partner in the US and Canada.
UFC’s long-term collaboration with bet365 is also set to include sportsbook integrations such as on-screen betting tickers, fighter odds, intro odds and same-game parlay features on UFC broadcasts.
After forming a multi-year partnership with the UFC on March 5, bet365 debuted a new campaign, ‘Winning is Everything,’ during the promotion’s live broadcast of UFC Fight Night on March 14
