“Are gamblers required to pay taxes on every winning bet – for example, every winning pull of the slot machine? Or can they report the overall income – gains minus losses – from a session of gambling?”

This is the question posed in the recent case of Park v. Commissioner, decided on 9 July 2013. Judge Brett Kavenaugh, writing for the D.C. Court of Appeals, opens his decision thus:

“After a night of gambling, it’s no fun to walk out of the casino a loser. But it’s even worse when the IRS, on your way out, tries to tax you on each individual bet that you happened to win over the course of your losing night. Enter Sang Park, a South Korean businessman who gambled away thousands of dollars at slot machines on casino outings during his trips to the United States – only then to have the IRS seek more in taxes.”

Hat tip to Mike Doyle.