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I cannot imagine how it would benefit society to provide full deduction of gambling losses, and can conceive of avenues for corruption to expand if it were offered.

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That's true but the complaint that gamblers have (at least those who pay taxes in the US), if you win a big jackpot in January, say $10,000, and over the course of the year you lose all $10,000 so that you're even, you still have to pay tax on the jackpot (as normal income) but can't reduce the amount by the subsequent losses. Yes there is some ability to deduct some losses as expenses but it's not an even trade. It's hard to win at gambling, much harder the way the US tax code is structured. Keep in mind that many countries don't tax gambling winnings at all, so many people feel the US rules are unfair from the start.

Too late to edit my own comment but technically it is incorrect. If you keep meticulous records of the offsetting losses, the IRS may allow you to claim zero gambling income in that fiscal year and relieve you of having to pay tax on income.

What I stated above is true across fiscal years. If you win a $10,000 jackpot on December 31, and lose all $10,000 on January 1 (or at any point over the next 12 months), the above comment is true. You don't get to reduce your income in the next year by the $10,000 of losses, or edit the previous year's return, or offset the earlier win in any way.

If I’m at the point, as a hobbyist sports gambler of keeping meticulously accurate records, I’m no longer a hobbyist.

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