GAMBLER Act Aims to Fund ICE with Sports Betting Tax
Ohio Rep. Mike Rulli introduced the GAMBLER Act, a bill to steer $300 million in federal sports betting taxes to ICE for border enforcement.
A Move to Redirect Gambling Revenue
Ohio’s Rep. Mike Rulli, a Republican from Mahoning and Columbiana counties, dropped a political bombshell, unveiling the Giving Alien Migrants Back Through Lawful Excise Redistribution (GAMBLER) Act.
The bill proposes funneling the federal 0.25% sports betting excise tax, roughly $300 million annually, into a new Border Enforcement Trust Fund to boost Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations. “
The proposal, co-sponsored by Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas, comes amid protests against ICE in cities like Los Angeles.
How the Tax Works and Where It Goes Now
The 0.25% federal excise tax, or “handle tax,” applies to legal sports betting wagers, generating about $300 million yearly from a $125 billion industry.
Set in 1982 after dropping from 10% in 1951 and 2% in 1974, it currently flows into the U.S. Treasury’s general fund for broad congressional allocation.
Rulli’s bill would amend this code to create a dedicated trust fund for ICE’s enforcement, detention, and deportation efforts.
ICE’s 2025 budget, proposed at $11 billion, dwarfs the tax revenue, but Rulli argues it’s a step to “restore order” without burdening taxpayers.
Rulli’s pitch hinges on frustration with immigration enforcement, particularly in “sanctuary cities” like Los Angeles, where he claims migrants “drain resources” and flout laws.
Citing recent unrest, he frames the bill as a budget-neutral fix, giving ICE “every resource available” without new taxes. The GAMBLER Act aligns with broader 2025 Republican efforts, like a $45 billion ICE detention budget hike, to ramp up deportations.
Uphill Battle in Congress
The GAMBLER Act faces stiff opposition. With only 53 Republican senators, it needs seven Democratic votes to clear a Senate filibuster, a tall order given immigration’s toxicity.
Competing bipartisan bills, led by Nevada’s Dina Titus and Pennsylvania’s Guy Reschenthaler, aim to scrap the 0.25% tax entirely, arguing it hampers legal sportsbooks’ fight against offshore operators.
Titus and Reschenthaler, members of the Congressional Gaming Caucus unlike Rulli, have pushed repeal four times.
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