43 Responses to “How to Claim Deduction for Gambling Losses and Pay Taxes on Winnings?” invaderg35 Says: November 29th, 2011 at 10:53 pm. Let’s say I make $40K a year and this year I have $18K worth of slot winnings.

To claim a deduction for gambling losses, you must adequately document them, including: The date and type of gambling activity. The name and address or location of the gambling establishment. The names of other persons (if any) present with you at the gambling establishment. (Obviously, this is. How to Claim Gaming Wins and Losses on a Tax Return. By: Mark Kennan. You must use Form 1040 to report your gambling winnings and losses. To claim your gambling losses, you have to itemize.

Wed, Jun 27, 8:10pm by William Brown

Last Updated Wed, Jan 8, 7:06am

Australia has one of the highest rates of gambling in the world, with more than 80 per cent of Australian adults engaging in gambling of some kind. This includes four per cent of the adult population who play poker machines once a week. Traditionally, gambling has been legislated at a state and territory level, rather than by the federal government. There are numerous Acts in each region that outline information about gambling tax laws and regulations.

History of Gambling Tax Legislature

In Australia, the winnings from gambling are not taxed. This is for three reasons.

Gambling is not recognised as a profession in Australia. It is regarded as a hobby or recreational activity. The Australian government has come to an agreement that the gains from gambling activities are often the result of good luck, not hard work.

Even if someone wins big, many people also lose a lot in other gambling sessions. Skilled professional gamblers, such as poker players, who could argue their winnings are the result or skill instead of luck, haven’t been asked by the government to pay taxes on their winnings.

If the player decided to register themselves as a business though, they might be required to pay tax. If the player received sponsorships, endorsements and other gains because of their professional gambling career, then this would be taxable.

Who Pays The Gambling Tax in Australia?

The main reason behind the lack of taxation on gambling winnings is that the gambling operators are taxed instead. This taxation differs between the regions.

There are taxes on the turnover amount, on player loss and on net profit. As such, gambling operators need to obtain a license to offer their services, with certain fees paid during the development of the operation. The operators’ requirements to pay tax differ based on where they are operating and what form of gambling is offered.

For example, in the state of New South Wales, tax on electronic gaming machines in casinos is between 16.41-38.91 per cent of gross revenue, depending on the gross revenue.

This is different to the state of Victoria, where the tax is 31.57-51.57 per cent of gross gaming venue.

What are the Online Gambling Tax Rules in Australia?

In Australia, the Interactive Gambling Act (2001) governs the rules and laws about online gambling. This is a national law and was passed by the Australian Parliament on June 28, 2001. The Act is targeted at online gambling operators, making it an offense for them to offer ‘real-money’ online interactive gambling to residents in Australia.

That hasn’t done much to stop Australian’s spending big online, with $800 million spent by 2010. Accessing and using interactive gambling services is not an offence in Australia. It is also permitted for companies based in Australia to offer their services to gamblers located outside Australia, with the exception of those countries that were called ‘designated countries’. Australian punters benefit from not having to pay tax on their gambling winners, but when online gaming is concerned, there aren’t many Australian providers.

Since few are based in Australia, there is a foreign transaction fee that users will have to pay to make a deposit or withdrawal. This is dependent on what kind of banking method you use.

For example, Mastercard and Visa will always charge a foreign transaction fee, whereas Skrill, won’t charge one. There is also the issue of currency conversion to be aware of and some of the best casinos available might not offer the option to play in the Australian dollar.

Claiming Gambling Losses On Taxes

Do Players Have to Pay Any Gambling Tax in Australia?

In Australia, it is the gambling operators that are charged tax, not the players. The amount of tax the operators pay depends on the type of game and the location of the poker machines or casinos.

There is no tax to pay for online Australian players either, despite a few online Australian casinos in operation.

The only fees or charges a player might encounter when playing an online casino could be fees to withdraw or deposit money into international casino sites or when converting the Australian dollar into the website’s preferred currency.

If you had a successful night at the slots or poker tables, you're going to have to share some of the lucky proceeds with Uncle Sam. The Internal Revenue Service generally requires that you report your gambling winnings and losses separately when you file your taxes rather than combining the two amounts.

Record Keeping

As you gamble during the year, you need to keep records of your winnings and losses so that you can support whatever figures you report on your taxes. The IRS permits you to use per-session recording, which means that instead of recording whether you won or lost each time you pull the slot machine, you can simply record your total for the session. Your records should include the date and type of gambling, where you gambled and if you gambled with anyone else, such as a home poker game. If you win more than $600, you should receive a Form W-2G from the casino.

Taxable Winnings

When figuring your gambling winnings, only include the winnings from each session rather than using losses to offset your gains. You have to include gambling winnings even if you didn't receive a Form W-2G from the casino. For example, if you gambled six times during the year, winning $100, $3,000, $4,000 and $6,000 but losing $5,000 and $2,000, your gambling winnings for the year are $13,100. This amount gets reported on line 21 of your Form 1040 tax return.

Gambling Losses

To claim your gambling losses, you have to itemize your deductions. Gambling losses are a miscellaneous deduction, but -- unlike some other miscellaneous deductions -- you can deduct the entire loss. The deduction goes on line 28 of Schedule A and you have to note that the deduction is for gambling losses. For example, if you lost $5,000 on one occasion and $7,000 on another, your total deduction is $12,000.

Gambling Loss Limitation

Can You Claim Gambling Losses On Taxes

You can't deduct more in gambling losses than you have in gambling winnings for the year. For example, suppose you reported $13,000 in gambling winnings on Line 21 of Form 1040. Even if you lost $100,000 that year, your gambling loss deduction is limited to $13,000. Worse, you aren't allowed to carry forward the excess, so if you had $87,000 in losses you couldn't deduct last year, you can't use that to offset the gambling income from the current year.

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About the Author

Can You Claim Gambling Losses On Taxes Canada

Based in the Kansas City area, Mike specializes in personal finance and business topics. He has been writing since 2009 and has been published by 'Quicken,' 'TurboTax,' and 'The Motley Fool.'