By TheNuts - Jun 16, 2025
US Representative Proposes Sports Betting Excise Tax To Fund ICE
A US legislator has brought
sports betting to the forefront of a heated political debate.
US Representative Mike Rulli, a Republican from Ohio, proposes using the federal sports betting excise tax to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The GAMBLER Act, or Giving Alien Migrants Back Through Lawful Excise Redistribution, would allocate approximately $300 million to a Border Enforcement Trust Fund at the US Treasury for ICE.
"Working-class Americans are paying the price while blue states and sanctuary cities harbor millions of illegal aliens who wave foreign flags in our streets, vandalize property, and drain resources meant for our own citizens," Rulli told reporters. "Our neighborhoods are being overrun, our laws ignored, and our voices silenced by an out-of-touch elite that refuses to act."
Rulli's plan coincides with increased media attention to ICE during the second Trump administration.
ICE needs cash
President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown has resulted in a severe funding shortage for ICE. According to a recent Axios article, ICE is already $1 billion over budget for the first nine months of the fiscal year.
Lawmakers from both parties are apparently "alarmed by the spending" and worry the administration will soon violate the law by spending excessively. Lawmakers are discussing Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill," which would allocate an additional $75 billion to ICE over the next five years.
Rep. Mark Amodei, the leading Republican on the House Department of Homeland Security appropriations subcommittee, told Axios that any budget "hiccups" are all capital 'C' concerns.
Sports betting excise tax history
In 1951, lawmakers instituted a 0.25% tax on US sports betting handle. Their purpose was to assist in combating offshore and illicit sportsbook companies.
Since the abolition of PASPA in 2018, operators have paid more over $500 million in excise taxes. However, the money have no specific function.
Since 2014, Rep. Dina Titus has advocated for repealing the excise tax. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler supported her idea in 2019 and 2021.