Tax Rate Casino Winnings

• Federal Tax Rate On Casino Winnings
• Oklahoma Tax Rate On Casino Winnings
• Federal Tax Rate For Casino Winnings

The takeaway here is that the IRS treats any gambling or contest winnings as income. You should report all of it, even if the casino or other payee doesn't hand you a tax form to fill out. State tax laws apply too so be sure to check with your state's department of revenue to determine your liability source: Ritchie. Depending on the size of your win, you may receive a Form W-2G, Certain Gambling Winnings and may have federal income taxes withheld from your prize by the gambling establishment. Gambling winnings are unique because you can also deduct your gambling losses and certain other expenses, but only in specific circumstances (see our article about this). “Taxpayers can deduct gambling losses only up to the amount of their gambling winnings,” says Leddy, “and only if they itemize their deductions.” For example, if your gambling winnings totaled $5,000 in the tax year, but you lost $6,000, you can only deduct $5,000 of those losses. In some cases, the casino will withhold a percentage of your winnings for taxes before it pays you at the rate of 24 percent. Casino Winnings Are Not Tax-Free Casino winnings count as gambling. The United States is a bit of an outlier when it comes to taxing gambling winnings. In the United Kingdom, the government taxes the gross profits of casino operators rather than players. Canadians can play the lottery, live casinos, poker and online games without paying taxes unless they are a professional.

We think it's important for you to understand how we make money. It's pretty simple, actually. The offers for financial products you see on our platform come from companies who pay us. The money we make helps us give you access to free credit scores and reports and helps us create our other great tools and educational materials.

Compensation may factor into how and where products appear on our platform (and in what order). But since we generally make money when you find an offer you like and get, we try to show you offers we think are a good match for you. That's why we provide features like your Approval Odds and savings estimates.

Of course, the offers on our platform don't represent all financial products out there, but our goal is to show you as many great options as we can.

This article was fact-checked by our editors and Jennifer Samuel, senior product specialist for Credit Karma Tax®.

Gambling may just be a hobby to you, but there’s nothing casual about it when it comes to filing your federal income taxes.

Nearly two-thirds of Americans gamble, according to a 2016 Gallup poll. And while you might think that winning a few bucks from a scratch ticket or a weekend trip to Vegas isn’t a big deal, the government considers every dollar you win from gambling as taxable income.

As a result, it’s important to understand how to report your gambling winnings, what to include and how you can use your losses in your favor. Here are some things you should know about how gambling winnings are taxed.

1. You must report all your winnings

Depending on how much you won during the year, you may receive a Form W-2G listing your gambling winnings. But even if you don’t receive the form, you’re still required to report all your winnings as “other income” on your tax return.

“All cash and non-cash gambling winnings are taxable and should be reported as ‘other income,’ ” says Patrick Leddy, partner at Farmand, Farmand & Farmand LLP. This includes any winnings you received from casinos, lotteries, raffles or horse races. Non-cash winnings, such as prizes like cars or trips, are also considered taxable income and are taxed based on their fair market value.

To make sure you keep track of both your winnings and losses, record the following details every time you gamble:

• The date and type of your gamble or gambling activity
• The name and location of the gambling establishment
• Names of other people who were with you, if applicable
• How much you won or lost
• Related receipts, bank statements and payment slips

2. You can deduct some losses

No one likes to talk about how much money they lost gambling. But when it comes to your tax return, being honest can save you money. That’s because the IRS allows you to deduct gambling losses.

Though you may not be able to deduct all your losses.

Federal Tax Rate On Casino Winnings

“Taxpayers can deduct gambling losses only up to the amount of their gambling winnings,” says Leddy, “and only if they itemize their deductions.”

For example, if your gambling winnings totaled $5,000 in the tax year, but you lost $6,000, you can only deduct $5,000 of those losses. Keep in mind, itemizing your deductions may not afford you the maximum tax benefit. If your total itemized deductions — which can also include charitable donations, home mortgage interest and medical expenses — don’t exceed your standard deduction, itemizing might not be the optimum choice for you.

Can I deduct the cost of a gambling addiction recovery program?

IRS Publication 502 lists alcohol and drug-related addiction-recovery programs as eligible for the medical expense deduction. However, gambling addiction isn’t included. If you need help dealing with a gambling addiction, you can call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration’s 24/7, 365-days-a-year hotline at 1-800-662-4357.

3. Even illegal gambling winnings are taxable

According to the American Gaming Association, it’s estimated that Americans spend more than $150 billion per year on illegal U.S. sports betting — and yes, that can include your office March Madness pool.

A May 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling opened the door for states to legalize sports betting, but not all have done so. That said, any winnings you receive from betting on sports legally or illegally (or from any illegal activity, for that matter) are still taxable.

Bottom line

So how are gambling winnings taxed? Every dollar you win from gambling, whether legally or not, is considered taxable income. As a result, it’s critical that you keep a record of your winnings so that you can report them accurately. You’ll also want to keep track of your losses so that you can use them to qualify for a tax break.

Once you’re ready to file your taxes, Credit Karma Tax® can help show you where to include both your winnings and your losses so that you can maximize your tax refund if you’re owed one.

Jennifer Samuel, senior tax product specialist for Credit Karma Tax®, has more than a decade of experience in the tax preparation industry, including work as a tax analyst and tax preparation professional. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Saint Leo University. You can find her on LinkedIn.

Related Articles

Do I have to pay tax on my casino winnings?

Oklahoma Tax Rate On Casino Winnings

It depends but probably no.

Unless you're a professional gambler, as defined by paragraph 40(2)(f) of the IncomeTaxAct, you don't have to declare gambling winnings when you file your taxes. Thegovernment looks at a few key factors to determine whether someone is making alivingfrom gambling and should therefore pay taxes on their winnings.

It's also important to remember that gambling tax laws are different to the CriminalCode laws that regulate gambling in Canada as a whole.

Just spending a lot of time gamblingand even being a consistent winner is not enough to make you a professional in the eyes of the law.Some of the things that CAN classify you as a pro, however, includeif yourun your gamblingoperation like a business and/or you use a systematic application ofskillor expertise to consistently make a profit.

The skill piece is why poker and pool players are more frequentlyclassifiedas professionals compared to people who bet on sports or casinogames.Another important point is whether the gambling is your only sourceofincome. You're way more likely to be classified as a professional ifyoudon't have another job or career.

Non-professional gamblers never have to pay taxes on winnings, regardless ofhow much they play or how much they win.Non-pros run thespectrum fromrecreational bettors to compulsive gamblers but as long as they'renotmaking a living doing it, none of them have to pay taxes on gamblingwinnings. It's important to realize that you also cannot deductgamblinglosses from your income unless you're a professional.

The truth is, in Canada the law is reluctant to classify people asprofessionals unless it's a really clear-cut case so most of thetime peoplearen't paying taxes on their winnings. Checkout this guide for moreinformation.

Non-professional gamblers in Canada don't have to pay taxes on winnings from anypopular gambling games including but not limited to:

How much can I win before paying taxes?

Federal Tax Rate For Casino Winnings

The question of paying taxes ongambling winnings isn't about how much youwin. Lottery winners in Canada regularly take down tens of millions ofdollars and never pay a cent in tax. The question is actually about whetheryou're a professional gambler making a living from your gamblingactivities.