On Friday, Rep. Mike Rulli (R-OH) presented the Giving Alien Migrants Back through Lawful Excise Redistribution (GAMBLER) Act, which, if enacted, would allocate money from the federal sports betting tax to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 

The Republican from Ohio presented the bill on Friday after several days of protests in major US cities against ICE, and in anticipation of multiple “No Kings” protests planned for Saturday nationwide. Rulli seemed driven by the events in Los Angeles, where protests, some of which were peaceful, intensified to such an extent that President Trump summoned Marines from the adjacent Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, commonly referenced as 29 Palms.

"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,” said the congressman in a statement. “Our neighborhoods are being overrun, our laws ignored, and our voices silenced by an out-of-touch elite that refuses to act. In any other country—or any other time in history—this would be called exactly what it is: an invasion. And the American people are done being ignored.”

The press release states that the GAMBLER Act has received backing from NumbersUSA, a group focused on immigration reform. 

 

Additional Information on the GAMBLER Act 

The federal excise tax on sports betting was established under the Revenue Act of 1951, aimed at reducing illegal gambling overseen by organized crime. The initial rate stood at 10% before being reduced to 2% in 1974 and then lowered further to 0.25% — the present rate — in 1982. 

Rulli’s GAMBLER Act suggests modifying the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to create a Border Enforcement Trust Fund in the Treasury Department. That fund would manage the $300 million generated each year for the federal government by the sports wagering excise instead of sending that money to the Treasury’s general fund. The Border Enforcement Trust would subsequently allocate that funding to ICE. 

Undeniably, $300 million is a substantial sum, but in the context of the US government, it's relatively insignificant. It accounts for a portion of the suggested $11 billion budget for ICE in 2025, and according to certain projections, that budget might increase fourfold by 2028. Rulli states that his bill focuses on responsibility and strengthening border security. 

“This is about fairness, accountability, and restoring the rule of law,” he added. “The GAMBLER Act is a common-sense solution that gives ICE the tools it needs—without raising taxes—to take back control of our borders and protect the American people.”

 

GAMBLER Act Encounters Rivals 

The GAMBLER Act encounters challenges in the House due to bipartisan backing for a bill that would eliminate the federal sports betting tax. The legislation, which has been suggested several times, was brought forth earlier this year by Nevada Representative Dina Titus (D) and Pennsylvania's Republican Representative Guy Reschenthaler. 

This is the fourth occasion that the two representatives have proposed a bill to eliminate the handle tax. Both are participants in the Congressional Gaming Caucus, which has not yet issued a public statement regarding the GAMBLER Act. 

Rulli is not a member of the gaming caucus, nor is anyone else from the Ohio congressional delegation.