Casino City’s Friday Five: Jackpots, openings and gambling tax controversy edition

A provision that quietly slipped into a recent budget bill threatens to tax gamblers on money they haven't actually won, which has sparked a bipartisan effort led by Congresswoman Dina Titus's "FAIR BET Act" and Senator Catherine Cortez Masto's "FULL HOUSE Act" to restore a full loss deduction and ensure fair taxation. In addition, we have two jackpots, a new restaurant coming to the Las Vegas Strip, a non-smoking area at a Washington casino increases, and another Washington property announces expansion.

5. $2 million jackpot win at Mohegan Sun
A Mohegan Sun guest from Connecticut struck gold Wednesday morning while playing on a Spanish 21 table in Casino of the Earth.

The guest was playing the optional $5 Bonus Spin Xtreme side bet and spun Triple Diamonds which landed them $2,018,742.

Not only is this the biggest jackpot win at Mohegan Sun in 2025, but it also ranks among the top five largest table game payouts ever at Mohegan Sun.

On Wednesday morning, a lucky guest at Mohegan Sun struck gold — hitting the biggest jackpot of 2025 with an incredible $2,018,742.30 win! ????

Our winner was playing Spanish 21 at a table in Casino of the Earth, wagering the $5 Bonus Spin Xtreme side bet. With a spin of Triple… pic.twitter.com/ZMr6BCmU5b
— Mohegan Sun ?? (@MoheganSun) July 10, 2025

Elsewhere, a Club Sycuan member turned an ordinary visit to Sycuan Casino Resort in California last week into a major payday after winning $157,588. The winning moment happened on the Huff N’ Even More Puff slot machine.

4. Bellagio to welcome CARBONE Riviera
This fall, Bellagio Resort & Casino and Major Food Group will unveil CARBONE Riviera, a new expression of the CARBONE brand, devoted to the art of seafood.

Designed by the internationally renowned Martin Brudnizki, CARBONE Riviera opens with a grand seafood display—an ice-laden centerpiece showcasing delicacies flown in daily from the world's premier purveyors. Towering with whole Dungeness and king crabs, oysters, langoustines, ricci di mare (sea urchin), razor clams and more.

The vast menu also will include Chef Mario Carbone's Spicy Lobster Meatballs, delicately cooked seafood of exceptional provenance, and a selection of pastas such as a two-pound Lobster Pasta—anchored by the iconic Spicy Rigatoni Vodka.

Major Food Group. @Bellagio. Fountains. Seafood-driven restaurant concept comes to life this Fall. https://t.co/rOiUhl6O6O pic.twitter.com/Di5qwBm9WT
— Bellagio Las Vegas (@Bellagio) July 8, 2025

3. Snoqualmie Casino and Hotel unveils expanded non-smoking gaming floor
Snoqualmie Casino & Hotel in Washington announced the grand opening of its expanded non-smoking gaming floor.

Located adjacent to the hotel lobby, the larger non-smoking slot floor will feature nearly 400 of today’s popular slot machines in a modern environment designed exclusively for non-smoking guests. For convenience and ease of access, non-smoking guests can also take advantage of the smoke-free entrance via the hotel’s valet parking.

This new space complements Snoqualmie Casino & Hotel’s existing fully enclosed, non-smoking slot area near Falls Buffet and Snoqualmie Café & Deli, offering guests even more choice and accessibility when it comes to their preferred gaming environment.

2. Tulalip Resort Casino opens expansion
Last week, Tulalip Resort Casino in Washington unveiled its 70,250-square-foot addition to the AAA Four-Diamond resort, which expands the casino to a total of 270,250 square feet.

The expansion’s completion marks a major milestone in a multi-year construction project, which now fully shifts to a total renovation of the award-winning casino scheduled for completion in late 2026.

Featuring more than 400 additional slot machines, the new space brings the casino-wide total to more than 2,600. There are also new restrooms coupled with extensive upgrades to existing restrooms throughout the casino.

Other recent renovations throughout the casino include the 4,000-square-foot High-Limit Slots Room, updates at award-winning Blackfish Wild Salmon Grill & Bar, and upgrades at Journeys East. All venues will remain open as additional renovation continues throughout the original gaming floor.

1. Nevada rep aims to restore gaming loss deduction
Congresswoman Dina Titus introduced the FAIR BET Act, which aims to reverse the recent change that limited gambling deduction to 90%, ensuring gamblers aren't taxed on money they didn't win.

“The recently passed budget bill included a provision inserted by Senate Republicans without consent of the House that imposed a tax increase on Americans who gamble by reducing from 100 percent to 90 percent the amount of losses they can deduct from gambling winnings for their income taxes,” Congresswoman Titus said. “My FAIR BET Act would rightfully restore the full deduction for losses so gamblers don’t pay taxes on money they haven’t won.

In addition, U.S. Senator Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) called out Senate Republicans for refusing to pass her bipartisan fix to the provision in the Republican budget bill that limits the wagering loss deduction.

Cortez Masto took to the Senate floor to ask unanimous consent to pass her Facilitating Useful Loss Limitations to Help Our Unique Service Economy (FULL HOUSE) Act, but a Republican senator objected because he was unable to attach his own unrelated amendment.

“It is a shame that we cannot pass this commonsense S.2230 [FULL HOUSE Act] because Republicans want to weigh it down with unrelated measures that they voted to support,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “This is a Republican piece of legislation that is actually causing people to pay taxes on money they lost. It makes no sense. And that’s all this is, is to try to fix it…So I’m disappointed, but I am not done.”