vpFREE2 Forums

1099's

Here's an article from a CPA, citing two IRS rulings that "Based on contrasting the two cases, you can conclude that the comps, when sufficiently unrelated to the casino resort, should be considered income. Conversely, the free rooms, board and beverages would not be considered income to the player."

http://www.bankrate.com/brm/itax/tax_adviser/20080807-casino-comps-income-a1.asp

Don the Dentist

···

>
> --- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "tsaimitch" <tsai@> wrote:
> >> The value of "comps" received are considered to be gaming winnings and should be included in your total winnings. This does allow you to deduct gaming losses to offset the income from the "comps."

All the stuff in my post came from the weblinks in the post.

Comps are taxable came from http://www.casinogaming.com/features/taxlaws.html

I have a question about 1099's. I have never had a 1099 only W2-G's. I got a badbeat jackpot at a CA card club for $1500 and recieved a 1099 misc income form.
I also, over the course of a year, won a $500 drawing and 2 table share's from jackpots that added up to $971. They have sent a 1099 form for this amount. I know in NV and even in CA Indian casino's the "hit" has to be all in one hand/draw/spin to be taxable does anyone know the rule on this for card clubs? It seems wrong to add up smaller wins and issue 1099's on them!!
Trish

Its the law...they have to add up all your wins and issue a 1099.

Don the Dentist

It seems wrong to add up smaller wins and issue 1099's on them!!

···

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "patricia" <udamom@...> wrote:

Trish

Jean

One last question! I am interpreting your comments that an individual who
isn’t filing as a professional gambler is netting their losses/wins for a
given session. Ex.: W2 G = $ 4000 and losses = $ 3000. They are reporting as
other income $ 1000 as their session income. This is just one session for
simplification. A taxpayer would have many sessions over the course of a
year. I will not ask any more questions. Understand that you get hundreds of
questions in regards to taxes. I reread the section in your tax book
covering sessions and it didn’t illustrate what to do with w2G’s in a given
session for a non-professional gambler.

Thanks!

J. T. Spornhauer

···

_____

From: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com [mailto:vpF…@…com] On Behalf Of
Jean Scott
Sent: Wednesday, February 10, 2010 3:18 PM
To: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [vpFREE] 1099's

<<I already have your book and recognize that IRS is very vague on what is
acceptable. I do think that I am going to try to use the session method of
reporting knowing that the IRS will probably challenge. I would feel a
little better if someone has already tried and successful.>>

We (and lots of others) HAVE used the session method successfully for many
years, but we (and others) have been audited once in awhile and questioned
about this. Usually the IRS has accepted explanations but sometimes it has
taken a lot of time to go through the explaining process. So that is why
many people just go with the W-2G figure and adjust the loss figure to get
the same "real" figure.
________________
Jean $¢ott, Frugal Gambler
http://queenofcomps.com/> .com/
You can read my blog at
http://jscott.lvablog.com/> lvablog.com/

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

<<Its the law...they have to add up all your wins and issue a 1099.

Actually that is another gray area within gambling. There is no "law" and there are no clear IRS instructions. Some casinos do add them up over the year and issue a 1099 if the total is $600 or over. But often they just issue a 1099 for any ONE which is over $600. Also not consistent is whether they issue a 1099 or a W2-G on tournaments and drawings. Usually this is a 1099 but when Brad won the 1/2 mil in the Caesar's tournament, they issued a W2-G. (It is always preferable to get the W2-G since that will avoid any wrangling over whether that is "gambling-connected." We have always included our casino 1099s with our W2-Gs - and we have had a lot of them - and never had it questioned. But I know some people have had problems with this.)

···

________________
Jean $�ott, Frugal Gambler
http://queenofcomps.com/
You can read my blog at
http://jscott.lvablog.com/

<<One last question! I am interpreting your comments that an individual who
isn't filing as a professional gambler is netting their losses/wins for a
given session. Ex.: W2 G = $ 4000 and losses = $ 3000. They are reporting as
other income $ 1000 as their session income.>>

Yes, that is what many people do, even though their diary, if they use the session method, might show a different way of figuring although getting the same win. However, people who live in states that don't allow gambling losses will not want to do this. Also people who will lose deductions because this makes AGI higher.

···

________________
Jean $�ott, Frugal Gambler
http://queenofcomps.com/
You can read my blog at
http://jscott.lvablog.com/

If there is an entry fee, they issue form W-2G. If not, form 1099-MISC.

Cogno

···

-----Original Message-----
From: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com [mailto:vpF…@…com] On Behalf
Of Jean Scott
Sent: Thursday, February 11, 2010 8:38 AM
To: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [vpFREE] Re: 1099's

<<Its the law...they have to add up all your wins and issue a 1099.
>>

Actually that is another gray area within gambling. There is no "law"
and
there are no clear IRS instructions. Some casinos do add them up over
the
year and issue a 1099 if the total is $600 or over. But often they
just
issue a 1099 for any ONE which is over $600. Also not consistent is
whether
they issue a 1099 or a W2-G on tournaments and drawings. Usually this
is a
1099 but when Brad won the 1/2 mil in the Caesar's tournament, they
issued a
W2-G. (It is always preferable to get the W2-G since that will avoid
any
wrangling over whether that is "gambling-connected." We have always
included our casino 1099s with our W2-Gs - and we have had a lot of
them -
and never had it questioned. But I know some people have had problems
with
this.)
________________
Jean $¢ott, Frugal Gambler
http://queenofcomps.com/
You can read my blog at
http://jscott.lvablog.com/

------------------------------------

vpFREE Links: http://members.cox.net/vpfree/Links.htm

Yahoo! Groups Links

You receive a 1099 any time a payer gives you $600 or more in a given year
when no wager was directly involved in order to get the payout.

Form W-2G is issued when individual bets pay off for certain amounts and/or
odds, depending on the bet (slots at a gross win of $1200, poker tournaments
a net win of $5000, and other games $600 if the winning odds were 300-1 or
600-1, depending on the game).

Cogno

···

-----Original Message-----
From: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com [mailto:vpF…@…com] On Behalf
Of patricia
Sent: Wednesday, February 10, 2010 9:43 PM
To: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [vpFREE] Re: 1099's

I have a question about 1099's. I have never had a 1099 only W2-G's. I
got a badbeat jackpot at a CA card club for $1500 and recieved a 1099
misc income form.
I also, over the course of a year, won a $500 drawing and 2 table
share's from jackpots that added up to $971. They have sent a 1099 form
for this amount. I know in NV and even in CA Indian casino's the "hit"
has to be all in one hand/draw/spin to be taxable does anyone know the
rule on this for card clubs? It seems wrong to add up smaller wins and
issue 1099's on them!!
Trish

------------------------------------

vpFREE Links: http://members.cox.net/vpfree/Links.htm

Yahoo! Groups Links

<<If there is an entry fee, they issue form W-2G. If not, form 1099-MISC.>>

(I'm not sure the above is in writing anywhere in IRS publications - I would appreciate it if someone can give me a reference if it is.)
Perhaps that is the way it is supposed to work, but not all casinos seem to follow this.

Case in point - here is a except from "Tax Help for Gamblers": "...one LV locals casino obtained a determination from the gaming specialist at the local IRS office in LV to use a W-2G instead of a 1099 for drawing prizes. (Yes, there actually is a position called gaming specialist here in the LV IRS office.)"

···

________________
Jean $�ott, Frugal Gambler
http://queenofcomps.com/
You can read my blog at
http://jscott.lvablog.com/

There was a link on one of the "1099" postings to a Tax Court case. The case had to do with a very heavy gambler by the name of Libutti. The case itself was rather interesting, but for a look into the life of a "big time gambler", Goodle "Libutti Gambler".

His troubles go well beyond the IRS chasing him for a few tax dollars.

Bob

···

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "Cogno Scienti" <cognoscienti@...> wrote:

You receive a 1099 any time a payer gives you $600 or more in a given year
when no wager was directly involved in order to get the payout.

Form W-2G is issued when individual bets pay off for certain amounts and/or
odds, depending on the bet (slots at a gross win of $1200, poker tournaments
a net win of $5000, and other games $600 if the winning odds were 300-1 or
600-1, depending on the game).

Cogno

> -----Original Message-----
> From: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com [mailto:vpF…@…com] On Behalf
> Of patricia
> Sent: Wednesday, February 10, 2010 9:43 PM
> To: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [vpFREE] Re: 1099's
>
>
> I have a question about 1099's. I have never had a 1099 only W2-G's. I
> got a badbeat jackpot at a CA card club for $1500 and recieved a 1099
> misc income form.
> I also, over the course of a year, won a $500 drawing and 2 table
> share's from jackpots that added up to $971. They have sent a 1099 form
> for this amount. I know in NV and even in CA Indian casino's the "hit"
> has to be all in one hand/draw/spin to be taxable does anyone know the
> rule on this for card clubs? It seems wrong to add up smaller wins and
> issue 1099's on them!!
> Trish
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> vpFREE Links: http://members.cox.net/vpfree/Links.htm
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>

From the form 1099-MISC instructions:

···

-----------------------------
Box 3. Other Income

Enter other income of $600 or more required to be reported on Form 1099-MISC
that is not reportable in one of the other boxes on the form.

Also enter in box 3 prizes and awards that are not for services performed.
Include the fair market value (FMV) of merchandise won on game shows. Also
include amounts paid to a winner of a sweepstakes not involving a wager. If
a wager is made, report the winnings on Form W-2G, Certain Gambling
Winnings.
----------------------------------

-----Original Message-----
From: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com [mailto:vpF…@…com] On Behalf
Of Jean Scott
Sent: Thursday, February 11, 2010 10:55 AM
To: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [vpFREE] Re: 1099's

<<If there is an entry fee, they issue form W-2G. If not, form 1099-
MISC.>>

(I'm not sure the above is in writing anywhere in IRS publications - I
would
appreciate it if someone can give me a reference if it is.)
Perhaps that is the way it is supposed to work, but not all casinos
seem to
follow this.

Case in point - here is a except from "Tax Help for Gamblers":
"...one LV
locals casino obtained a determination from the gaming specialist at
the
local IRS office in LV to use a W-2G instead of a 1099 for drawing
prizes.
(Yes, there actually is a position called gaming specialist here in the
LV
IRS office.)"
________________
Jean $¢ott, Frugal Gambler
http://queenofcomps.com/
You can read my blog at
http://jscott.lvablog.com/

------------------------------------

vpFREE Links: http://members.cox.net/vpfree/Links.htm

Yahoo! Groups Links

....unless they make a mistake.

A few years ago, Flamingo issued a W-2G to me for my winnings
in a slot tournament which had no entry fee. I watched them give
the first place winner a W-2G, too.

Curtis

···

On 2/11/10, Cogno Scienti <cognoscienti@gmail.com> wrote:

If there is an entry fee, they issue form W-2G. If not, form 1099-MISC.

Cogno

> -----Original Message-----
> Actually that is another gray area within gambling. There is no "law"
> and
> there are no clear IRS instructions. Some casinos do add them up over
> the
> year and issue a 1099 if the total is $600 or over. But often they
> just
> issue a 1099 for any ONE which is over $600. Also not consistent is
> whether
> they issue a 1099 or a W2-G on tournaments and drawings. Usually this
> is a
> 1099 but when Brad won the 1/2 mil in the Caesar's tournament, they
> issued a
> W2-G. (It is always preferable to get the W2-G since that will avoid
> any
> wrangling over whether that is "gambling-connected." We have always
> included our casino 1099s with our W2-Gs - and we have had a lot of
> them -
> and never had it questioned. But I know some people have had problems
> with
> this.)
> ________________
> Jean $¢ott, Frugal Gambler
> http://queenofcomps.com/
> You can read my blog at
> http://jscott.lvablog.com/

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Casinos make lots of mistakes. Most of the time, they work in our favor.
Sometimes they come back to bite us in the ass.

Cogno

···

-----Original Message-----
From: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com [mailto:vpF…@…com] On Behalf
Of Curtis Rich
Sent: Thursday, February 11, 2010 2:49 PM
To: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [vpFREE] 1099's

....unless they make a mistake.

A few years ago, Flamingo issued a W-2G to me for my winnings
in a slot tournament which had no entry fee. I watched them give
the first place winner a W-2G, too.

Curtis

On 2/11/10, Cogno Scienti <cognoscienti@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> If there is an entry fee, they issue form W-2G. If not, form 1099-
MISC.
>
> Cogno
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > Actually that is another gray area within gambling. There is no
"law"
> > and
> > there are no clear IRS instructions. Some casinos do add them up
over
> > the
> > year and issue a 1099 if the total is $600 or over. But often they
> > just
> > issue a 1099 for any ONE which is over $600. Also not consistent
is
> > whether
> > they issue a 1099 or a W2-G on tournaments and drawings. Usually
this
> > is a
> > 1099 but when Brad won the 1/2 mil in the Caesar's tournament, they
> > issued a
> > W2-G. (It is always preferable to get the W2-G since that will
avoid
> > any
> > wrangling over whether that is "gambling-connected." We have
always
> > included our casino 1099s with our W2-Gs - and we have had a lot of
> > them -
> > and never had it questioned. But I know some people have had
problems
> > with
> > this.)
> > ________________
> > Jean $¢ott, Frugal Gambler
> > http://queenofcomps.com/
> > You can read my blog at
> > http://jscott.lvablog.com/

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

------------------------------------

vpFREE Links: http://members.cox.net/vpfree/Links.htm

Yahoo! Groups Links

To dummy this down for this dummy!....

Casual gambler...reports W2G winnings as required.

Are you allowed to deduct for the entire year's losses in that case? I.e.,
got a hit for $10,000 on a machine...did take most home...but promptly lost
ALL if not more on subsequent trips throughout the year.

I've been figuring that my records show I've taken at least that much out of
the bank (on days to coincide with my trips)

Is that "ok"??

thanks.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

You receive a 1099 any time a payer gives you $600 or more in a given year
when no wager was directly involved in order to get the payout.

then this would be very debatable because when playing live poker at CA card clubs they take a payment towards the jackpots on EVERY hand so there is a direct wager ongoing for a bad beat jackpot.

ok if the is "the law" then why is it I can play a penny machine and get it to go into multi free spin mode (say 50 spins on a Sun and Moon machine playing $2.00/hand) have the hand total more than $1200 and cash out the ticket with no tax form generated?
I've been told it is because it did not occur in one single spin/hand/hit.

why are various small wins on different days in a card club any different?
also at card clubs you MANY times see people stacking their chips and going to the cashier with way more than $600 with no tax form generated...it all just seems so random...

gambling and tax laws don't seem to go together too well!

···

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "Don the Dentist" <dds6@...> wrote:

Its the law...they have to add up all your wins and issue a 1099.

Don the Dentist

I would agree with you. Perhaps you could write a letter and encourage them
to issue more tax forms.

Cogno

···

-----Original Message-----
From: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com [mailto:vpF…@…com] On Behalf
Of patricia
Sent: Friday, February 12, 2010 9:28 AM
To: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [vpFREE] Re: 1099's

> You receive a 1099 any time a payer gives you $600 or more in a given
year
> when no wager was directly involved in order to get the payout.
>

then this would be very debatable because when playing live poker at CA
card clubs they take a payment towards the jackpots on EVERY hand so
there is a direct wager ongoing for a bad beat jackpot.

------------------------------------

vpFREE Links: http://members.cox.net/vpfree/Links.htm

Yahoo! Groups Links

ok if the is "the law" then why is it I can play a penny machine and
get it to go into multi free spin mode (say 50 spins on a Sun and Moon
machine playing $2.00/hand) have the hand total more than $1200 and
cash out the ticket with no tax form generated?

I think I read somewhere that they are ending that practice. I agree with
your reasoning.

why are various small wins on different days in a card club any
different?

There is no tax-reporting requirements for poker cash games, only
tournaments and jackpots.

also at card clubs you MANY times see people stacking their chips and
going to the cashier with way more than $600 with no tax form
generated...it all just seems so random...

Indeed.

Cogno

Hi: For those of you who followed this item, I previously mentioned that I would give an update of the ongoing process when I had something to report. You may recall that I received a notice from the IRS saying that they turned down my intial appeal ( I used Schedule C and they said I was not a business) and I had 90 days to either pay them or inform them that I wanted to go to tax court. In the interim my CPA and a lawyer I had used to establish my Corporation have been preparing a response which we planned to submit about the 26th of the month. No interim information has been provided for nor requested by/to the IRS after February 1st.
I received a call from my accountant today saying he received a new letter from the IRS saying . "We are pleased to tell you that with your help we were able to clear up the differences between your records and your payer's record........If you have already received a notice of deficiency (I had), you may disregard it. You won't need to file a petition with the United States Tax Court I was planning to)."

While I am not sure what happened in the interim. I can only assume that the numerous attachments originally submitted or the subsequent appeal letters from my accountant were finally read by a knowledgable IRS person other than just a computer or clerk.
I thank the IRS and especially my accountant Mike McLennan of Detroit for bringing this to a resolution before the lawyer fees got out of hand. As I have said in the past I have read every book and tax case on this subject I could get my hands on and I believe I have ethically filed, have addressed every issue on this subject required by the tax code. I commend the work by Jean Scott and Marissa Chien which was my main book reference. Given the results of my case, I believe if you honestly follow this book and the related tax court cases and respond positively to the issues therein, Schedule C likely will be eventually approved by the IRS.
Sometime right tops might.

If someone would like any "off the record" advice on the topic, drop me a private note. Denny

···

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "denflo60" <dennis.florence@...> wrote:

Jan: Since I started filing as a recreational gambler some years ago I used the session method and was never audited. I reported based on the session length of a day because of the "churn" of the machines. To me the bigger question is the precise definition of a session.
When I started betting significant money and filed as a professional with schedule C, I continued using the session method. Given that the Casino supplies the total of my accrued W2G's, I have used the daily session method because it agrees with the W2G submission. I do have complete contemporary records of all $1200.+ wins from the attachments of the Casino W2's which can be tied back through time of day of the "hit" to my records. I survived the 2006 audit about using Scedule C but what never directly asked about session method or length. As I have reported here and you responded I have faced the same issues for the 2007 year and I, my accountant and my lawyer will fill out paper work to to request the matter be taken to tax court. Whether the session method or session length comes up at that time I do not know, we are prepared to defend it and its length. Of course whether I win or lose will be not known for some lengthy period. Denny

— In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "Jan Spornhauer" <janspornhauer@> wrote:
>
> I would like to know of anyone has tried to use daily session win VS using
> the W2G as income. It seems to me this is a more fair way to report gambling
> income but maybe the IRS doesn't look at it that way. Unfortunately, a
> taxpayer who has any substantial W2G receipts and has equal losses is in the
> end paying more income tax.
>
>
>
> The Gambler
>
> _____
>
> From: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com [mailto:vpF…@…com] On Behalf Of
> tsaimitch
> Sent: Tuesday, February 09, 2010 1:51 PM
> To: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [vpFREE] Re: 1099's
>
>
>
>
>
> You can deduct losses on Schedule A, or file as a professional gambler with
> Schedule C.
> Might be able to use "Session wins" rather than 1099s as you wins, but I
> hear conflicting info on this board.
>
> See http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vpFREE/message/104962>
> yahoo.com/group/vpFREE/message/104962 for some problems with Schedule C.
>
> http://www.readybetgo.com/book-reviews/review-606.html>
> go.com/book-reviews/review-606.html
>
> How To Turn Poker Playing Into a Business (Knowing What to Deduct to Improve
> Your Odds With the IRS) by Ann-Margaret Johnston (122 pages, paperbound,
> $19.95) and The Tax Guide for Gamblers by Roger and Yolanda Roche – Sixth
> Edition (64 pages, paperbound, $29.95). Both are excellent references and
> both are available at Gambler's Book Shop in Las Vegas.
>
> http://www.casinogaming.com/features/taxlaws.html>
> ming.com/features/taxlaws.html
>
> All winnings from all forms of gambling are taxable and must be declared as
> income on your tax return.
>
> All losses from all forms of gambling are deductible as an itemized
> deduction for recreational players, limited to the amount of winnings
> declared.
>
> Professional gamblers hold file as a self-employed business using Schedule
> C.
>
> The value of "comps" received are considered to be gaming winnings and
> should be included in your total winnings. This does allow you to deduct
> gaming losses to offset the income from the "comps."
>
> Wins and losses are reported only in the year they occur. Excess losses
> cannot be carried forward or back to offset winnings in other years.
>
> Married couples filing a joint return must combine their winnings and
> combine their losses, and report only one figure for each.
>
> The IRS has issued instructions that "lumping" is unacceptable. "Lumping" is
> the practice of reporting one net win figure and no losses, or reporting
> nothing if your net from gambling is a loss. You must report the total of
> your winning sessions separately from the total of your losing sessions.
>
> The IRS requires that an accurate diary or similar record must be maintained
> for substantiating your wins and losses, and that the diary should contain
> at least the following information: (1) the date and type of your specific
> wager; (2) the name of the gaming establishment; (3) the address or location
> of the gaming establishment; (4) the names of the other person(s), if any,
> present with you; (5) the amount(s) you won or lost.
>
> The IRS also requires that in order to substantiate your diary, supplemental
> records are required, including the following (these records are not to be
> submitted with your return, but will be needed should you be audited): (1)
> W-2Gs; (2) wagering tickets or receipts; (3) canceled checks; (4) credit
> card records such as cash advances; (5) bank withdrawals; (6) any receipts
> provided by the gambling establishment.
>
> KEEP RECORDS OF YOUR GAMBLING TRANSACTIONS
>
> In February of 1998, in a case involving an unemployed gambler who failed to
> file timely returns for two years and kept no records, the Tax Court ruled
> that the gambler could not deduct unsubstantiated gambling losses. In
> addition the Tax Court upheld the IRS which had levied additional amounts
> for failure to file on time and for the accuracy-related negligence penalty.
> This increased the gambler's tax liability by 43%!
>
> In other words, they threw the book at this gambler, who actually told the
> court that although he maintained a gambling log for one of the years in
> question, it was not accurate because it was too time-consuming to make it
> precise.
>
> If you are collecting W2-Gs and not keeping accurate records, this very well
> could be in your future.
>
> <many more details on the webpage>
>
> http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc419.html>
> gov/taxtopics/tc419.html
>
> You may deduct gambling losses only if you itemize deductions. Claim your
> gambling losses as a miscellaneous deduction that is not subject to the 2%
> limit on Form 1040, Schedule A (PDF). However, the amount of losses you
> deduct may not be more than the amount of gambling income reported on your
> return. It is important to keep an accurate diary or similar record of your
> gambling winnings and losses. To deduct your losses, you must be able to
> provide receipts, tickets, statements or other records that show the amount
> of both your winnings and losses. Refer to Publication 529, Miscellaneous
> Deductions, for more information.
>
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

Denny,

Congratulations. That is great news.
I read your message and I said to myself, "This is like hitting a RF against something we despise more than the casinos!"

Guru

"In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is." - Yogi Berra

···

________________________________
From: denflo60 <dennis.florence@worldnet.att.net>
To: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Mon, March 15, 2010 5:37:44 PM
Subject: [vpFREE] Re: 1099's

Hi: For those of you who followed this item, I previously mentioned that I would give an update of the ongoing process when I had something to report. You may recall that I received a notice from the IRS saying that they turned down my intial appeal ( I used Schedule C and they said I was not a business) and I had 90 days to either pay them or inform them that I wanted to go to tax court. In the interim my CPA and a lawyer I had used to establish my Corporation have been preparing a response which we planned to submit about the 26th of the month. No interim information has been provided for nor requested by/to the IRS after February 1st.
I received a call from my accountant today saying he received a new letter from the IRS saying . "We are pleased to tell you that with your help we were able to clear up the differences between your records and your payer's record...... ..If you have already received a notice of deficiency (I had), you may disregard it. You won't need to file a petition with the United States Tax Court I was planning to)."

While I am not sure what happened in the interim. I can only assume that the numerous attachments originally submitted or the subsequent appeal letters from my accountant were finally read by a knowledgable IRS person other than just a computer or clerk.
I thank the IRS and especially my accountant Mike McLennan of Detroit for bringing this to a resolution before the lawyer fees got out of hand. As I have said in the past I have read every book and tax case on this subject I could get my hands on and I believe I have ethically filed, have addressed every issue on this subject required by the tax code. I commend the work by Jean Scott and Marissa Chien which was my main book reference. Given the results of my case, I believe if you honestly follow this book and the related tax court cases and respond positively to the issues therein, Schedule C likely will be eventually approved by the IRS.
Sometime right tops might.

If someone would like any "off the record" advice on the topic, drop me a private note. Denny

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups. com, "denflo60" <dennis.florence@ ...> wrote:

Jan: Since I started filing as a recreational gambler some years ago I used the session method and was never audited. I reported based on the session length of a day because of the "churn" of the machines. To me the bigger question is the precise definition of a session.
When I started betting significant money and filed as a professional with schedule C, I continued using the session method. Given that the Casino supplies the total of my accrued W2G's, I have used the daily session method because it agrees with the W2G submission. I do have complete contemporary records of all $1200.+ wins from the attachments of the Casino W2's which can be tied back through time of day of the "hit" to my records. I survived the 2006 audit about using Scedule C but what never directly asked about session method or length. As I have reported here and you responded I have faced the same issues for the 2007 year and I, my accountant and my lawyer will fill out paper work to to request the matter be taken to tax court. Whether the session method or session length comes up at that time I do not know, we are prepared to defend it and its length. Of course whether I win or lose will be not known for some lengthy period.

Denny

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups. com, "Jan Spornhauer" <janspornhauer@ > wrote:
>
> I would like to know of anyone has tried to use daily session win VS using
> the W2G as income. It seems to me this is a more fair way to report gambling
> income but maybe the IRS doesn't look at it that way. Unfortunately, a
> taxpayer who has any substantial W2G receipts and has equal losses is in the
> end paying more income tax.
>
>
>
> The Gambler
>
> _____
>
> From: vpFREE@yahoogroups. com [mailto:vpFREE@yahoogroups. com] On Behalf Of
> tsaimitch
> Sent: Tuesday, February 09, 2010 1:51 PM
> To: vpFREE@yahoogroups. com
> Subject: [vpFREE] Re: 1099's
>
>
>
>
>
> You can deduct losses on Schedule A, or file as a professional gambler with
> Schedule C.
> Might be able to use "Session wins" rather than 1099s as you wins, but I
> hear conflicting info on this board.
>
> See http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/vpFREE/ message/104962>
> yahoo.com/group/ vpFREE/message/ 104962 for some problems with Schedule C.
>
> http://www.readybet go.com/book- reviews/review- 606.html>
> go.com/book- reviews/review- 606.html
>
> How To Turn Poker Playing Into a Business (Knowing What to Deduct to Improve
> Your Odds With the IRS) by Ann-Margaret Johnston (122 pages, paperbound,
> $19.95) and The Tax Guide for Gamblers by Roger and Yolanda Roche -- Sixth
> Edition (64 pages, paperbound, $29.95). Both are excellent references and
> both are available at Gambler's Book Shop in Las Vegas.
>
> http://www.casinoga ming.com/ features/ taxlaws.html>
> ming.com/features/ taxlaws.html
>
> All winnings from all forms of gambling are taxable and must be declared as
> income on your tax return.
>
> All losses from all forms of gambling are deductible as an itemized
> deduction for recreational players, limited to the amount of winnings
> declared.
>
> Professional gamblers hold file as a self-employed business using Schedule
> C.
>
> The value of "comps" received are considered to be gaming winnings and
> should be included in your total winnings. This does allow you to deduct
> gaming losses to offset the income from the "comps."
>
> Wins and losses are reported only in the year they occur. Excess losses
> cannot be carried forward or back to offset winnings in other years.
>
> Married couples filing a joint return must combine their winnings and
> combine their losses, and report only one figure for each.
>
> The IRS has issued instructions that "lumping" is unacceptable. "Lumping" is
> the practice of reporting one net win figure and no losses, or reporting
> nothing if your net from gambling is a loss. You must report the total of
> your winning sessions separately from the total of your losing sessions.
>
> The IRS requires that an accurate diary or similar record must be maintained
> for substantiating your wins and losses, and that the diary should contain
> at least the following information: (1) the date and type of your specific
> wager; (2) the name of the gaming establishment; (3) the address or location
> of the gaming establishment; (4) the names of the other person(s), if any,
> present with you; (5) the amount(s) you won or lost.
>
> The IRS also requires that in order to substantiate your diary, supplemental
> records are required, including the following (these records are not to be
> submitted with your return, but will be needed should you be audited): (1)
> W-2Gs; (2) wagering tickets or receipts; (3) canceled checks; (4) credit
> card records such as cash advances; (5) bank withdrawals; (6) any receipts
> provided by the gambling establishment.
>
> KEEP RECORDS OF YOUR GAMBLING TRANSACTIONS
>
> In February of 1998, in a case involving an unemployed gambler who failed to
> file timely returns for two years and kept no records, the Tax Court ruled
> that the gambler could not deduct unsubstantiated gambling losses. In
> addition the Tax Court upheld the IRS which had levied additional amounts
> for failure to file on time and for the accuracy-related negligence penalty.
> This increased the gambler's tax liability by 43%!
>
> In other words, they threw the book at this gambler, who actually told the
> court that although he maintained a gambling log for one of the years in
> question, it was not accurate because it was too time-consuming to make it
> precise.
>
> If you are collecting W2-Gs and not keeping accurate records, this very well
> could be in your future.
>
> <many more details on the webpage>
>
> http://www.irs. gov/taxtopics/ tc419.html>
> gov/taxtopics/ tc419.html
>
> You may deduct gambling losses only if you itemize deductions. Claim your
> gambling losses as a miscellaneous deduction that is not subject to the 2%
> limit on Form 1040, Schedule A (PDF). However, the amount of losses you
> deduct may not be more than the amount of gambling income reported on your
> return. It is important to keep an accurate diary or similar record of your
> gambling winnings and losses. To deduct your losses, you must be able to
> provide receipts, tickets, statements or other records that show the amount
> of both your winnings and losses. Refer to Publication 529, Miscellaneous
> Deductions, for more information.
>
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]