Dana White and Donald Trump go way back. The UFC president has never been shy about crediting Trump for giving the organization its first big break, hosting early fights in Atlantic City casinos when the sport was still considered too controversial for most venues. That bond has only strengthened over the years, with White endorsing Trump for office multiple times and even appearing at campaign events.
Now White is calling in a favor—publicly. In a letter dated May 11, the UFC boss asked President Trump to intervene with Congress to reverse a provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that limits gambling loss deductions to 90%. The change, signed into law in July, has rattled the sports betting world and drawn sharp criticism from professional bettors and industry leaders.
“The current law makes it irrational to bet in the United States because you could end up owing taxes even when you lose or having a tax bill that exceeds your winnings for the year,” White wrote in the letter. He argued that the rule undermines the entire sports betting ecosystem the UFC has helped build over the past two decades.
White’s plea isn’t just about protecting bettors—it’s about protecting his business. “The UFC supports a healthy, legal sports betting market to drive fan engagement, broadcast value, and sponsorships,” he wrote. “When legal betting is discouraged, it hurts the ecosystem we’ve spent years building in partnership with state regulators and licensed operators.”
The math behind the controversy is straightforward. If a bettor wins $100,000 and loses $100,000 in the same year, they walk away with zero net profit. Under the old rules, they’d owe no taxes. Under the new law, they’d still be on the hook for $10,000. That kind of hit, White argues, will drive bettors back to unregulated offshore books or simply out of the market altogether.
The American Gaming Association agrees. Chris Cylke, the group’s senior vice president of government relations, told ESPN that restoring the full deduction remains a top priority. “We appreciate Dana White helping raise awareness about the negative impacts this issue has not only on bettors, but also on businesses and jobs connected to the legal gaming ecosystem,” Cylke said.
White’s relationship with Trump is unique in the sports world. The president has shown a willingness to wade into sports policy before, as seen in his recent warning about NFL streaming and his decision to waive bond fees for World Cup fans. Whether he’ll act on White’s request remains to be seen, but the UFC president is betting their friendship can move the needle.
For now, the betting community is watching closely. If White succeeds, it could reshape the tax landscape for millions of gamblers. If not, the fight over the deduction limit may shift to Congress—or the courts.
