- Multi-billionaire Warren Buffett said that sports betting is “a tax on stupidity” in an interview.
- Buffett also said that sports betting taxes indirectly benefit rich people like himself.
- Sports betting generated $2.71 billion in state tax revenue in 2025.
OMAHA, Neb.– Multi-billionaire investor and philanthropist Warren Buffett is against sports betting and other “things that make a sucker out of people.” Buffett made his opinion clear in a recent interview with CNBC, stating that legal sports betting is “a tax on stupidity” while the rich benefit.
Buffett explained his opinion that sports betting services as a tax cut for wealthy people like himself.
“To the extent that states raise money from people who, the dollar really means something to them, it actually relieves the taxes on me or other rich people,” Buffett said on CNBC. “It’s not direct, but it’s the net effect.”
While sportsbooks are obviously cashing in on sports betting, the rise in states with legal sports betting stems from the tax benefits going towards state education, infrastructure, budgets, and many other outlets. State tax revenue surpassed $2.7 billion in 2025.
Less than a year ago, the U.S. sports betting handle surpassed half a trillion dollars and sportsbooks made $16.96 billion in 2025 revenue. While governments are thriving, the citizens are not.
Buffett Not The Only Financial Guru To Disavow Sports Betting
Earlier this year, financial advisor Dave Ramsey emphasized the destruction that online sports betting has done on young men in the United States. Ramsey and Buffett are two fiscally-knowledgeable men that have both spoken out about the rise of sports betting.
While Buffett believes it’s a tax on stupid people, Ramsey is more sensitive and believes sports betting problems are a product of the environment. He cited the rise of sports betting advertising that increased 25% year-over-year, and called sports betting “the fastest growing addiction.”
