Captain Jack Andrews

I like the movie ticket analogy. OSB operators always remind everyone that this is just entertainment. Well if I spend $100 at a movie theatre, I don’t have to file this on my taxes. The US should adopt the windfall definition like Canada. Regulated gambling already generates public revenue upfront and since most players lose, it should end there. Of course professional gambling should be subject to income tax, but it should be treated like a regular business. As someone that cares a lot about complying with the law, I remain astonished that PASPA was struck down over 8 years ago and we still have a tax system that forces millions of people to commit tax evasion or pay thousands of dollars to the government that you don’t have. I have talked to lawmakers, auditors, and anyone that will listen, but they all dismiss it because gambling despite the popularity remains taboo and the status quo is just to pretend it doesn’t exist. The media refuses to cover it for the same reason and in general the public at large does not even understand our tax system (it is actually designed to be this way). The governor of IL, a massive gambler himself, still runs a state without any loss deduction. We all just pretend that millions of people being forced to ignore a law is completely normal. Then you have Daniel Wallach and Dustin Gouker (being paid by the OSB industry) celebrating this adverse tax situation. I just don’t get it.