BetSaracen exec claims federal gambling tax change won’t impact casual bettors
Saracen Casino Resort Chief Market Officer Carlton Saffa has said he doesn’t believe that the new federal gambling tax change limiting gamblers’ ability to deduct losses from winnings to 90% will impact players betting lower amounts.
Saracen Casino Resort in Arkansas operates BetSaracen, an online sportsbook that takes around $300 million in bets annually.
Speaking to CBS-affiliate 5News, Saffa claimed that most BetSaracen customers wouldn’t notice a difference from the new taxes, including in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law by President Donald Trump recently.
“But the key here is our tens of thousands of active users every month are what I would consider casual, low-dollar recreational bettors… So the bottom line is, this is not ruinous on the industry. It’s probably going to affect a handful of bettors in Arkansas. But despite it all, we care about that handful of bettors,” he said.
However, Saffa went on to explain that Saracen is supporting legislation from Representative Dina Titus of Nevada, which aims to return the gambling losses deduction from 90% to 100% as it was before. That bill, the FAIR BET Act, is currently being debated by Congress.
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