SB1245: State Says No Relief For Gambling Losses

Bill to fully deduct gambling losses dies in legislature

This article was written with the assistance of ai software*

Photo byGregMontani

What did SB1245 want to accomplish?

SB1245 wanted to change how people can report their gambling losses on their taxes. Right now, there's a limit of $17,000 on certain deductions, but this law would let people fully deduct their gambling losses when filing their state income taxes.

Who would have benefited from this law?

✔️Frequent gamblers with significant gambling losses

✔️People who report large gambling wins and want to offset their taxes with losses

✔️Those who itemize deductions on their Oklahoma state income taxes

✔️High-stakes bettors or professional gamblers who regularly file taxes

What are some concerns people might have about this law?

Some of these may be reasons why the bill failed to pass:

⚠️Less tax revenue for the state: Allowing full deductions for gambling losses could reduce the amount of income tax collected, potentially affecting public services.

⚠️Encourages gambling: Some might argue that the law could encourage more gambling since losses can be fully deducted, which might lead to riskier behavior.

⚠️Benefits only a small group: This law mainly helps frequent or high-stakes gamblers, which might feel unfair to the majority of taxpayers who don’t gamble or itemize deductions.

⚠️Complex tax filings: People might find it harder to accurately report their gambling losses, leading to more complicated tax returns.

This bill was introduced on 2/14/24 by Senator Julie Daniels [R] and Representative Kyle Hilbert [R]. Due to a lack of support, missed deadlines, committee action, leadership decisions or veto, this bill failed to pass and will not be signed into law.

➡️Is this something that you think Oklahomans need? How would it have benefited the county you live in?

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Hi, I'm Judy! I love talking about the area I live in and what affects us. Follow me if you'd like more stories like this.