New US Law Threatens to Make Professional Poker Even Harder

President Trump signed the 'Big Beautiful Bill' in early July 2025, which includes changes that could significantly impact professional poker players. The new law will affect professional poker players by changing the tax rules. Professional poker players will now only be able to write off 90% of their expenses, instead of 100%.

The new tax rule will significantly impact high-stakes players who can end the year with millions in profits or losses. Players who win $100,000 in prizes and spend $100,000 on entry fees will now have to pay taxes on $10,000. This change will force many players to pay tens of thousands of dollars in taxes even if they end the year in the red.

Senator Ted Cruz, one of the initiators of the law, hopes to correct the mistake. Cruz stated that no senator agrees with the new tax rule and that it was likely included in the law by mistake. He expressed hope that the issue will be corrected soon.