01/02/2013 5:02PM

Gambling deductions remain intact for new bill

By Matt Hegarty
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High-earning horseplayers will continue to be able to deduct their gambling losses up to their winnings despite a limitation on other deductions in the tax-and-spending package passed by the House and Senate on Jan. 1.

Discussions on the tax-and-spending package had included limiting the amount of gambling losses that high earners could deduct as a way to raise more revenue for the federal government, according to Alex Waldrop, the chief executive of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, which spearheads Thoroughbred racing’s federal lobbying efforts. However, despite a restoration on a limit on itemized deductions for individuals earning $250,000 or more or couple earnings $300,000 or more in the last-minute package passed on New Year’s Day, the language allowing gamblers to deduct losses up to winnings was not changed.

“For now, it’s the status quo,” said Waldrop. “Without the exemption, certain horseplayers wouldn’t be able to take advantage of their deductions.”

Under current tax law, many horseplayers offset winnings from bets requiring mandatory reporting to the IRS with their losses. Typically, those losses require paper trails such as losing pari-mutuel tickets and journal entries about betting activity to withstand the scrutiny of an audit.

– Matt Hegarty

mikey 11 months ago
Why when you win over 5000 $$ the track takes a % of the winning's.Go to a casino and win 20,000 $$ and they take nothing unless you ask them to take it out.
rvraynmary 11 months ago
How nice. Why doesn't the lobbyist fight for complete end to the income tax on gambling winnings. The catch is that one may hit three or four in the $1,000-$2,000 range and can't come up with enough other deductions to add to the losses and offset the taxable winnings. This happens often. STUCKINARIZONA
Tekov Yahoser 11 months ago
The solution is to declare NET winnings on page one of the 1040. Too simple for those lardheads at the IRS. Had to sit through an audit of my "youbet" account. Every wager there on an excel spreadsheet. The dimbulb couldn't figure out that I had a slight LOSS for the year.
Tekov Yahoser 11 months ago
I meant to say they need to change the rule about winnings to net on page one instead of gross on page one and losses under deductions.