Could Trump's August 2025 order against political "debanking" also protect gamblers from the same fate?

[Dan Druff]

Here's Trump's executive order on "debanking" -- the practice of banks dropping customers based upon their political beliefs: https://www.whitehouse.gov/president...-all-americans

This executive order was from August 2025.

Gamblers have their own debanking issue. Many banks refuse to do business with professional gamblers. A few banks will even make you certify that your funds "didn't come from gambling" when you sign up for an account. This should be illegal, but isn't. Other banks have dropped known gamblers, including high profile ones like Daniel Negreanu.

Here's the main part of the order:

The term “politicized or unlawful debanking” refers to an act by a bank, savings association, credit union, or other financial services provider to directly or indirectly adversely restrict access to, or adversely modify the conditions of, accounts, loans, or other banking products or financial services of any customer or potential customer on the basis of the customer’s or potential customer’s political or religious beliefs, or on the basis of the customer’s or potential customer’s lawful business activities that the financial service provider disagrees with or disfavors for political reasons.

The bolded part would seem to cover gamblers, but then it's followed by "for political reasons".

Unfortunately, gambling isn't all that political -- there are those for and against gambling on both sides of the aisle.

But could the definition be stretched to include gambling? Maybe. It could be argued that disapproving of gambling is a political position, and thus debanking someone for being a lawful gambler is against the requirements of this executive order.

It's worth watching. What do you guys think?

I have never been debanked, but in 2016-17 I was being treated extremely suspiciously by a major bank, to the point where I finally got tired of it and confronted them. The bank employee claimed there were no negative notes on my account and even showed me the screen where those notes would supposedly exist (it had nothing), but they could have still been hiding something by not showing me other screens. I will say that the harassment stopped once I confronted them. This odd behavior took place across several branches, and not all in the same area. I felt somewhat violated by this. Why were they treating me like a criminal?

Every time I took cash out, or deposited a semi-large check, I was given the third degree. The tellers acted like they were making conversation, but they were relentless in trying to keep it going and asking me for details. The conversation would go like this, when I'm withdrawing $7,000:

Teller: "So, what are you needing this cash for this weekend?"

Me: "Oh, I'm going to Vegas, I like to have enough money on me to gamble."

Teller: "Ah okay, so where do you like to gamble?"

Me: "Lots of places. Just wherever I happen to be. Places like Bellagio, Aria, Cosmopolitan..."

Teller: "So how long is the trip going to be? 2 days? 3 days? Longer?"

Me: "Probably 3 days. I'll see how it goes. Depends how I'm doing. If I lose everything I might come back early."

Teller: "So when you usually go, is it something like 3 days?"

etc etc etc

Felt like an FBI interrogation. So weird. As I said, when I finally confronted them after several times of this occurring (at different branches, as far as 100 miles apart), it stopped.

Would love to see this debanking made illegal so I can tell them to fuck off when they try to dig into my private business about what I'm doing with my money.

[kewlJ]

Was it Wells Fargo? A couple guys I communicate with have had issues with Wells Fargo not liking their frequent deposits and withdrawals.

I don't know what the difference with a business where the night manager deposits the money from the days business each night?

[MDawg]

UNKewlJ doesn’t have two nickels to rub together:

https://vegascasinotalk.com/forum/sh...l=1#post178323

[MDawg]

when I finally confronted them

You did not explain what this confrontation consisted of, other than implied that you asked to see if any derogatory notes had been attached to your account.

It is actually against the law (31 U.S.C. 5318(g)(2)) for a financial institution to advise a customer of the filing of a SAR against him.

[DGenBen]

Here is something that has been very helpful for me.

You open an account with a local credit union & then link that account to any major banks you have or need accounts with.

Then you try to do the majority of your cash transactions with the credit union & you can transfer money online from your credit union deposits to the major banks.

Credit unions since they are member owned don’t seem to have the issues with cash that many of the major banks do.

I run all my big cash transactions though my credit union, but then I can transfer the money online to one of the majors I have an account with if I need to make a withdrawal out of state or something where my credit union doesn’t have any branches.

[Rob.Singer]

This stuff is nonsense. Neither of my banks--Chase & BofA and I've been with both for 27 years--have ever given me an issue to deal with even when I've regularly withdrew $5k to >$40k for gambling trips....and re-deposited at least that much a few days later many times. And I STILL deal with at times even larger cash transactions with them for varying reasons.

If people are getting harassed it's because they're ASKING to be harassed. People who choose to go into the world of professional gambling have a responsibility to know upfront what the challenges might be and how to properly handle them should they arise. And the last thing they need to be doing is worrying about banks and the IRS. That shows a pathetic level of preparation on their part.

[mickeycrimm]

Here's Trump's executive order on "debanking" -- the practice of banks dropping customers based upon their political beliefs: https://www.whitehouse.gov/president...-all-americans

This executive order was from August 2025.

Gamblers have their own debanking issue. Many banks refuse to do business with professional gamblers. A few banks will even make you certify that your funds "didn't come from gambling" when you sign up for an account. This should be illegal, but isn't. Other banks have dropped known gamblers, including high profile ones like Daniel Negreanu.

Here's the main part of the order:

The term “politicized or unlawful debanking” refers to an act by a bank, savings association, credit union, or other financial services provider to directly or indirectly adversely restrict access to, or adversely modify the conditions of, accounts, loans, or other banking products or financial services of any customer or potential customer on the basis of the customer’s or potential customer’s political or religious beliefs, or on the basis of the customer’s or potential customer’s lawful business activities that the financial service provider disagrees with or disfavors for political reasons.

The bolded part would seem to cover gamblers, but then it's followed by "for political reasons".

Unfortunately, gambling isn't all that political -- there are those for and against gambling on both sides of the aisle.

But could the definition be stretched to include gambling? Maybe. It could be argued that disapproving of gambling is a political position, and thus debanking someone for being a lawful gambler is against the requirements of this executive order.

It's worth watching. What do you guys think?

I have never been debanked, but in 2016-17 I was being treated extremely suspiciously by a major bank, to the point where I finally got tired of it and confronted them. The bank employee claimed there were no negative notes on my account and even showed me the screen where those notes would supposedly exist (it had nothing), but they could have still been hiding something by not showing me other screens. I will say that the harassment stopped once I confronted them. This odd behavior took place across several branches, and not all in the same area. I felt somewhat violated by this. Why were they treating me like a criminal?

Every time I took cash out, or deposited a semi-large check, I was given the third degree. The tellers acted like they were making conversation, but they were relentless in trying to keep it going and asking me for details. The conversation would go like this, when I'm withdrawing $7,000:

Teller: "So, what are you needing this cash for this weekend?"

Me: "Oh, I'm going to Vegas, I like to have enough money on me to gamble."

Teller: "Ah okay, so where do you like to gamble?"

Me: "Lots of places. Just wherever I happen to be. Places like Bellagio, Aria, Cosmopolitan..."

Teller: "So how long is the trip going to be? 2 days? 3 days? Longer?"

Me: "Probably 3 days. I'll see how it goes. Depends how I'm doing. If I lose everything I might come back early."

Teller: "So when you usually go, is it something like 3 days?"

etc etc etc

Felt like an FBI interrogation. So weird. As I said, when I finally confronted them after several times of this occurring (at different branches, as far as 100 miles apart), it stopped.

Would love to see this debanking made illegal so I can tell them to fuck off when they try to dig into my private business about what I'm doing with my money.

“or disfavors for political reasons” is a separate reason than the bolded part. I think the bolded part covers gamblers.

[Don Perignom]

Would love to see this debanking made illegal so I can tell them to fuck off when they try to dig into my private business about what I'm doing with my money.

I think we have enough laws already. We need to abolish the existing ones (along with the associated government agencies and employees) that are creating the intimidation against banks. But no one in DC wants to do that, and Trump is only trying to look busy.

Credit unions since they are member owned don’t seem to have the issues with cash that many of the major banks do.

I run all my big cash transactions though my credit union, but then I can transfer the money online to one of the majors I have an account with if I need to make a withdrawal out of state or something where my credit union doesn’t have any branches.

That seems like sensible advice. I'll try that, thanks!