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Is it worth writing off gambling losses?

Claiming gambling losses Gambling losses are indeed tax deductible, but only to the extent of your winnings and requires you to report all the money you win as taxable income on your return. The deduction is only available if you itemize your deductions.

turbotax.intuit.com - Can You Claim Gambling Losses on Your Taxes? - TurboTax - Intuit
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OVERVIEW

Gambling losses are indeed tax deductible, but only to the extent of your winnings. Find out more about reporting gambling losses on your tax return.

Claiming gambling losses

Gambling losses are indeed tax deductible, but only to the extent of your winnings and requires you to report all the money you win as taxable income on your return. The deduction is only available if you itemize your deductions. If you claim the standard deduction, then you can't reduce your tax by your gambling losses.

Keeping track of your winnings and losses

The IRS requires you to keep a log of your winnings and losses as a prerequisite to deducting losses from your winnings. Your winnings include each win during the year. You typically cannot offset your winnings from one day with your losses from another day in order to report your net winnings or losses. Your winnings and losses typically need to be separated and reported individually. The IRS does allow you to net your wins and losses on the same day for the same type of wagering if you meet certain requirements. This means that if you win at the slots one day and lose the next day, you have to report the winnings on your tax return as income and then deduct the losses separately as an itemized deduction.

Typical sources of winnings and losses can include:

lotteries

raffles

horse and dog races

casino games

poker games

sports betting

Your records need to include:

the date and type of gambling you engage in

the name and address of the places where you gamble

the people you gambled with

the amount you win and lose

Other documentation to prove your losses can include:

Form W-2G

Form 5754

wagering tickets

canceled checks or credit records

receipts from the gambling facility

Limitations on loss deductions The amount of gambling losses you can deduct can never exceed the winnings you report as income. For example, if you have $5,000 in winnings but $8,000 in losses, your deduction is limited to $5,000. You could not write off the remaining $3,000, or carry it forward to future years. Reporting gambling losses To report your gambling losses, you must itemize your income tax deductions on Schedule A. You would typically itemize deductions if your gambling losses plus all other itemized expenses are greater than the standard deduction for your filing status. If you claim the standard deduction, you: are still obligated to report and pay tax on all winnings you earn during the year

will not be able to deduct any of your losses

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Can IRS track gambling winnings?

Generally, you'll receive an IRS Form W-2G (opens in new tab) if your gambling winnings are at least $600 and the payout is at least 300 times the amount of your wager.

kiplinger.com - 8 Tax Tips for Gambling Winnings and Losses - Kiplinger

Your Losses Might Be Deductible

Did you have a bad night at the blackjack table or pick the wrong horse to win? There's a possible silver lining if you lose a bet or two — your gambling losses might be deductible. (Gambling losses include the actual cost of wagers plus related expenses, such as travel to and from a casino or other gambling establishment.) There are a couple of important catches, though. First, unless you're a professional gambler (more on that in a second), you have to itemize in order to deduct gambling losses (itemized deductions are claimed on Schedule A (opens in new tab)). Unfortunately, most people don't itemize. So, if you claim the standard deduction, you're out of luck twice — once for losing your bet and once for not being able to deduct your gambling losses. Second, you can't deduct gambling losses that are more than the winnings you report on your return. For example, if you won $100 on one bet but lost $300 on a few others, you can only deduct the first $100 of losses. If you were totally down on your luck and had absolutely no gambling winnings for the year, you can't deduct any of your losses. If you're a professional gambler, you can deduct your losses as business expenses on Schedule C (opens in new tab) without having to itemize. However, a note of caution: An activity only qualifies as a business if your primary purpose is to make a profit and you're continually and regularly involved in it. Sporadic activities or hobbies don't qualify as a business.

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