Many people seek to avoid paying taxes on as many things as possible, including gambling winnings. However, gambling winnings are considered a taxable income and must be reported when filing your taxes. All cash prizes, in addition to the value of other winnings, are taxable by the federal, and sometimes, state governments. Hence, you must list. Do you have to pay taxes on Bovada winnings? Dec, 15, 2019 Posted in Gambling Tax Bovada is without a doubt the # 1 alternative for United States gamers to use given that the field sizes are substantial in their competitions, and the competitors exceptionally soft.
- Do You Have To Pay State Taxes On Gambling Winnings In Oklahoma
- Do I Have To Pay State Taxes On Gambling Winnings In Nevada
- Do You Have To Pay Federal Income Tax On Gambling Winnings
- Do I Have To Pay State Taxes On Gambling Winnings
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Do you like to gamble? If so, then you should know that the taxman beats the odds every time you do. The Internal Revenue Service and many states consider any money you win in the casino as taxable income. This applies to all types of casual gambling – from roulette and poker tournaments to slots, bingo and even fantasy football. 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 income and gambling income is always taxed at the federal level. That includes cash from slot machines, poker tournaments, baccarat, roulette, keno, bingo, raffles, lotteries and horse racing. If you win a non-cash prize like a car or a vacation, you pay taxes on the fair market value of the item you win.
By law, you must report all your winnings on your federal income tax return – and all means all. Whether you win five bucks on the slots or five million on the poker tables, you are technically required to report it. Job income plus gambling income plus other income equals the total income on your tax return. Subtract the deductions, and you'll pay taxes on the resulting figure at your standard income tax rate.
How Much You Win Matters
While you're required to report every last dollar of winnings, the casino will only get involved when your winnings hit certain thresholds for income reporting:
- $5,000 (reduced by the wager or buy-in) from a poker tournament, sweepstakes, jai alai, lotteries and wagering pools.
- $1,500 (reduced by the wager) in keno winnings.
- $1,200 (not reduced by the wager) from slot machines or bingo
- $600 (reduced by the wager at the casino's discretion) for all other types of winnings but only if the payout is at least 300 times your wager.
Win at or above these amounts, and the casino will send you IRS Form W2-G to report the full amount won and the amount of tax withholding if any. You will need this form to prepare your tax return.
Understand that you must report all gambling winnings to the IRS, not just those listed above. It just means that you don't have to fill out Form W2-G for other winnings. Income from table games, such as craps, roulette, blackjack and baccarat, do not require a WG-2, for example, regardless of the amount won. It's not clear why the IRS has differentiated it this way, but those are the rules. However, you still have to report the income from these games.
What is the Federal Gambling Tax Rate?
Standard federal tax withholding applies to winnings of $5,000 or more from:
- Wagering pools (this does not include poker tournaments).
- Lotteries.
- Sweepstakes.
- Other gambling transactions where the winnings are at least 300 times the amount wagered.
If you win above the threshold from these types of games, the casino automatically withholds 24 percent of your winnings for the IRS before it pays you. If you cannot provide a Social Security number, the casino will make a 'backup withholding.' A backup withholding is also applied at the rate of 24 percent, only now it includes all your gambling winnings from slot machines, keno, bingo, poker tournaments and more. This money gets passed directly to the IRS and credited against your final tax bill. Before December 31, 2017, the standard withholding rate was 25 percent and the backup rate was 28 percent.
The $5,000 threshold applies to net winnings, meaning you deduct the amount of your wager or buy-in. For example, if you won $5,500 on the poker tables but had to buy in to the game for $1,000, then you would not be subject to the minimum withholding threshold.
Geisha slot machine jackpot. It's important to understand that withholding is an entirely separate requirement from reporting the winning on Form WG-2. Just because your gambling winning is reported on Form WG-2 does not automatically require a withholding for federal income taxes.
Can You Deduct Gambling Losses?
If you itemize your deductions on Schedule A, then you can also deduct gambling losses but only up to the amount of the winnings shown on your tax return. So, if you won $5,000 on the blackjack table, you could only deduct $5,000 worth of losing bets, not the $6,000 you actually lost on gambling wagers during the tax year. And you cannot carry your losses from year to year.
The IRS recommends that you keep a gambling log or spreadsheet showing all your wins and losses. The log should contain the date of the gambling activity, type of activity, name and address of the casino, amount of winnings and losses, and the names of other people there with you as part of the wagering pool. Be sure to keep all tickets, receipts and statements if you're going to claim gambling losses as the IRS may call for evidence in support of your claim.
What About State Withholding Tax on Gambling Winnings?
There are good states for gamblers and bad states for gamblers. If you're going to 'lose the shirt off your back,' you might as well do it in a 'good' gambling state like Nevada, which has no state tax on gambling winnings. The 'bad' states tax your gambling winnings either as a flat percentage of the amount won or by ramping up the percentage owed depending on how much you won.
Each state has different rules. In Maryland, for example, you must report winnings between $500 and $5,000 within 60 days and pay state income taxes within that time frame; you report winnings under $500 on your annual state tax return and winnings over $5,000 are subject to withholding by the casino due to state taxes. Personal tax rates begin at 2 percent and increase to a maximum of 5.75 percent in 2018. In Iowa, there's an automatic 5 percent withholding for state income tax purposes whenever federal taxes are withheld.
State taxes are due in the state you won the income and different rules may apply to players from out of state. The casino should be clued in on the state's withholding laws. Speak to them if you're not clear why the payout is less than you expect.
How to Report Taxes on Casino Winnings
You should receive all of your W2-Gs by January 31 and you'll need these forms to complete your federal and state tax returns. Boxes 1, 4 and 15 are the most important as these show your taxable gambling winnings, federal income taxes withheld and state income taxes withheld, respectively.
You must report the amount specified in Box 1, as well as other gambling income not reported on a W2-G, on the 'other income' line of your IRS Form 1040. This form is being replaced with a simpler form for the 2019 tax season but the reporting requirement remains the same. If your winnings are subject to withholding, you should report the amount in the 'payment' section of your return.
Different rules apply to professional gamblers who gamble full time to earn a livelihood. As a pro gambler, your winnings will be subject to self-employment tax after offsetting gambling losses and after other allowable expenses.
Read More:
Do You Have To Pay State Taxes On Gambling Winnings In Oklahoma
Are online gambling winnings taxable? Yes, whether you gamble at land-based or online casinos, the money you earn is subject to federal income tax. Known as gambling income, the money you earn from wagers and bets as well as lotteries, sweepstakes, etc. all must be taxed.
In some cases, you will be provided with tax forms that must be turned in to the federal government. Is there any strategy to roulette. The full amount of the gambling income minus the cost of the winning bet will be included on this form. Whether you receive this form or not, it’s important to know your responsibilities when it comes to filing income taxes.
The process of handling gambling taxes is not difficult if you know what to do. With this in mind, the OUSC team created this quicktax guide to help US players report their online gambling income.
Do US Players Have To Pay Taxes For Online Gambling?
So, if you enjoy online gambling at sites like BetOnline or Bovada Casino, do you have to pay taxes? When you choose to gamble online, the money you earn is still taxable. Even if the site is located in another country, you still have to pay taxes.
Online gambling is unregulated in most regions of the US, but taxes must still be paid. Just because you do not receive tax forms, does not mean that your winnings are not taxed.
To the IRS, it does not matter where the money is either. If you have funds in your online casino account, even if it’s an offshore site, it’s taxable. When dealing with online gambling earnings, it’s important to review this information with an accountant to ensure you pay the right amount of taxes owed.
Below you will find a list of gambling activities that the International Revenue Service considers taxable:
- Prizes
- Private Party Games
- Tournaments
- Scratch Off Tickets
- Other
Do I Have To Pay State Taxes On Gambling Winnings In Nevada
How Do You Report Gambling Winnings?
Do You Have To Pay Federal Income Tax On Gambling Winnings
The way you report your gambling activities will be dependent on how you win. If you receive a Form W-2G, then this is what you will turn in when filing taxes. Taxes must be filed before April 15th or you must ask for an extension. You will turn this form in as you do your other tax forms for employment to an accountant or tax filing company.
If you do not receive the W-2G form, then you will need to fill out a Form 1040, adding the winnings to Line 21 of the form. The full amount of gambling winnings will be placed on this line.
When filling out the 1040, you will need to configure your losses as well. The expense you had for bets, wagers, etc. will need to be deducted as an itemized deduction. This is done on the “Other Miscellaneous Deductions” line of Schedule A form. This will help to lower the tax amount paid on your total gambling income.
What Types of Records Do You Need?
Do I Have To Pay State Taxes On Gambling Winnings
The information you record while enjoying online gambling can be used during the filing process. It’s important to maintain a log or diary of all your losses and winnings. Keep in mind the following information:
- Dates: You will need to record the date and type of activity completed, including wagers and winnings.
- Location: List the name and location of the gambling facility. In the case of online gambling, this would be the website, such as MyBookie or Café Casino.
- Checks: If you are sent any checks in the mail from winnings, be sure to keep the check stub.
- Paperwork: For some players, winnings will be sent via mail and any paperwork should be kept and used during filing as needed.
Don’t Forget To Pay Your Online Gambling Taxes
When you gamble online, it is important to enjoy yourself, but also remember to file your winnings! The IRS takes gambling money very seriously and you want to be sure that you pay your taxes accordingly. If you need any additional information, be sure to visit the official website of the IRS to find all the previously mentioned forms you will need fo file your taxes.
