Erika D. Smith, Columnist

Republicans’ Surprise Gambling Tax Rolls the Dice on Young Men

The demographic that swung hard to the GOP might not like how the party has just voted to tax casino losses.

July 18, 2025 at 11:30 AM UTC

Erika D. Smith is a politics and policy columnist for Bloomberg Opinion. She is a former Los Angeles Times columnist and Sacramento Bee editorial board member.

Better call your CPA.
Photographer: Ethan Miller/Getty Images

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Politicians don’t typically spend a lot of time talking about the needs of professional gamblers. But they are now — and their fight over a little-known provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that will hit high rollers with a new tax penalty is worth watching because it’s exposing the many tensions within MAGA.

There are the socially conservative Republicans who don’t like gambling. The libertarian Republicans who don’t care. The Republicans who say they are for the working class, including casino workers. The business-friendly Republicans who see an opportunity in an industry that made $72 billion in revenue last year, according to the American Gaming Association. And then there’s President Donald Trump, a former casino owner who pals around with current casino owners who shower him with campaign donations.