Could the Big Beautiful Bill end professional gambling?

WBUR | By Here & Now Newsroom

Published July 17, 2025 at 10:50 AM CDT

Betting odds for Super Bowl LIX are displayed on monitors at the Circa resort and casino sports book Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Las Vegas. (John Locher/AP)

Professional gamblers, like sports bettors, rely on high volumes of play and statistical probability to generate thin profit margins. Now, a little-known amendment to the tax code included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act could ruin their ability to make a living at all.

Here & Now‘s Robin Young speaks with Ryan Butler, senior news analyst at Covers, an online publication offering sports-related data analysis and resources for bettors.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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