Gambling is a lot more than buying lottery tickets on the way home from work for many people. Raffles, casino games, poker, sports betting, and even fantasy football are all considered casual gambling by the IRS. When you win, your earnings are taxable income and are subject to their own tax regulations.
What about gambling on horse racing? Are the winnings taxable?
The answer is Yes. The first rule is you must declare all winnings to the government, whether or not they were reported to the government by another company. The second rule is not to deduct your gaming losses from your winnings. You must disclose all types of winnings, not just cash.
It also qualifies as income if you’ve won a brand new iPhone in a raffle. You must claim the fair market value of the iPhone at the time you won it, which is often the price you would pay for it if you bought it new.
You need to be aware of different types of gambling winnings when filing your taxes. Here’s a breakdown:
1. Winnings from casual gambling are taxable. This includes earnings from lotteries, raffles, casino games, poker, sports betting, and fantasy football.
2. Gambling winnings from a trade or business are also taxable. This would include income earned from bookmaking, horse racing, and other professional gambling activities.
3. Some gambling winnings are not subject to tax. This includes the first $5,000 in winnings from any one game and any winnings that are considered a return of your original investment.
4. Gambling losses are also deductible. You can deduct up to the amount of gambling income you report on your taxes. So if you report $1,000 in gambling income, you can deduct up to $1,000 in gambling losses.
The bottom line is that most gambling winnings are taxable, but there are a few exceptions. Be sure to report all of your gambling income and losses on your tax return so that you don’t run into any trouble with the IRS.
How are gambling winnings taxed?
If you win a large sum of money in a lawfully regulated game of chance, the person who pays you will deduct 24% of your earnings for taxes and send you a copy of IRS Form W-G2 to document the transaction.
In any event, 24% of your winnings will be taken from your reward and submitted straight to the IRS, along with Form W-G2. This is an approximate tax of 24%. You may receive part of it back, or you may owe more.
Do Casinos Have to Report Gambling Winnings to the Internal Revenue Service?
Yes, however, specific thresholds must be met before a casino is required to declare winnings. The amount of gambling earnings that must be disclosed to the IRS varies depending on the game.
Winnings at a horse racetrack that surpass $600 or 300 times the initial bet must be disclosed. All winnings above $1,200 on bingo and slot machines must be reported. The stakes in a poker tournament are $5,000.
Is it possible to deduct gambling losses?
You can deduct whatever money you lose while gambling from your earnings for tax purposes. Gambling losses that exceed your winnings, on the other hand, can’t be claimed as a tax deduction.
To what extent you can deduct gambling losses for tax purposes?
When calculating how much you won, you can’t take the cost of your wager, but you are allowed to deduct your gambling losses if you follow certain restrictions. To claim the gambling losses as a tax deduction, you must itemize your deductions. This implies you won’t be able to claim the itemized deductions for the filing status, which most often exceeds a taxpayer’s itemized deductions.
You can only deduct losses up to the amount of gaming income you reported. If you gained $2000 but the loss suffered is $5,000, your itemized deduction is only $2,000. You won’t be able to deduct the remaining $3,000 from your other taxable income.
Do State Charge Taxes on Gambling Winnings?
Gambling winners must declare their winnings in the jurisdiction where they won in some states. Regardless of where you live, most states tax all income produced in their state. Furthermore, your resident state will compel you to disclose the wins while giving you credit or deduction for taxes paid to a non-resident state.
What rules must be followed if you are a professional gambler?
If you gamble to make a profit regularly, it’s practically your day job. You can submit Schedule C by marking as a self-employed individual instead of declaring your wins as “other income” on your Form 1040.
This distinction is crucial since you can deduct the other business expenses on Schedule C, lowering your taxable income. You can, for example, deduct the costs of:
Magazines, journals, and other information about your vocation as a gambler;
If you gamble online, a chunk of your Internet expenditures;
If you participate in tournaments, you will be responsible for your own meals and travel expenses.
What could be the downside of being a professional gambler?
Going pro has the disadvantage of requiring you to submit self-employment tax (Medicare and Social Security) on your gains in gambling. However there are of course many pros that may outweigh this, of course all people should be paying the appropriate taxes and social contributions in their country anyway regardless of chosen occupation.
