Congress tightens gambling-loss tax deduction, raising taxes on bettors
H.R. 6985 — Facilitating Useful Loss Limitations to Help Our Unique Service Economy (FULL HOUSE) Act · Filed by Max Miller (R-OH) · 6 cosponsors · Introduced Jan 8, 2026 · Referred to committee
Your members of Congress
Enter a ZIP to see where your representative and both senators stood on this bill.
Looked up on this device — your ZIP is never stored on our servers.
What it does
This bill reinstates a tax rule that limits gambling losses to the amount of gambling gains in a single tax year. Under current law, taxpayers can deduct gambling losses against other income; this bill would restrict that deduction so losses can only offset gambling winnings, not reduce taxable income from wages, investments, or other sources. The change applies to tax years starting in 2026.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole operative mechanism is to amend the Internal Revenue Code to narrow the deductibility of gambling losses. It is a straightforward tax-law amendment with no secondary purposes or riders.
What the text implies
- The acronym 'FULL HOUSE' (a poker hand) is a thematic naming choice that signals the bill's gambling focus but does not obscure its function—it is transparent wordplay, not concealment.
- The effective date (January 1, 2026) means the restriction applies immediately to the 2026 tax year, giving taxpayers minimal notice to adjust behavior or tax planning.
- The bill does not grandfather existing gambling losses or provide transition relief, so taxpayers with carryforward loss positions may face unexpected tax consequences.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Taxpayers who gamble and incur losses will face higher tax bills because they can no longer deduct those losses against wages or other income—only against gambling winnings. This is a tax increase on individuals who engage in wagering, reducing their after-tax income and shifting tax burden upward on this group.
Who stands to gain
- U.S. Treasury (increased tax revenue from restricted deductions)
Named in the bill
Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Department of Treasury, IRC Section 165(d)
Where it stands
6 cosponsors: 4 Democrats, 2 Republicans.
- Jan 8, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Jan 8, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Money around this bill
9 lobbying clients named this bill on 9 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $490,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 8 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.
More lobbying clients named this bill than 89% of bills with at least one filing.
Max Miller, the sponsor, reported $721,249 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.
- Caesars Enterprise Services, LLC — $90,000 on 1 filing
- Americans for Tax Reform — $70,000 on 1 filing
- Katuma, LLC — $70,000 on 1 filing
- Boyd Gaming Corporation — $60,000 on 1 filing
- Boyd Gaming Corporation — $60,000 on 1 filing
Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (718 characters) on Oct 3, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
Money — Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act filings whose specific-issue field names this bill for quarters ending Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. A filing's amount is reported whole beside the median number of bills a filing names; it is never divided across them. PAC receipts are FEC-reported contributions to the sponsor's candidate committee in the 2026 cycle.
As of — lobbying records through Jul 20, 2026 · page rendered 2026-10-20.
“Congress tightens gambling-loss tax deduction, raising taxes on bettors” QuorumCivic. https://share.quorumcivic.app/bill/119/hr6985 Report an error
The week in bills
One email, Sunday: what Congress passed, what it changed, and who paid.
One link arrives to confirm the address. It is used for this email and nothing else, and every issue carries an unsubscribe link.