Winnings in the following amounts must be reported to the IRS by the payer: $600 or more at a horse track (if that is 300 times your bet) $1,200 or more at a slot machine or bingo game $1,500 or more in keno winnings. Lottery betting, online poker, sports betting, daily fantasy sports, and a variety of other types of gambling are banned in Alabama. Charitable gambling was approved in 2007, so players will find bingo gaming and pull-tab games. Otherwise, visitors won’t find many legal forms of gambling. Gambling Losses Can Be Deducted on Schedule A. If you itemize your deductions, you can deduct your gambling losses for the year on Schedule A. However, you can only deduct your loss up to the amount you report as gambling winnings. So, you should keep: An accurate diary of your gambling winnings and losses. Alabama State Tax On Gambling Winnings How To Play Gambling Slot Machines Burn And Turn Poker Tour Double American Beauty Slot Machine Wizard Of Oz Enchanted Forest.

Sports Betting in Alabama is actually an industry that is not entirely illegal in Alabama, depending on how you look at the laws. If you want to play the odds, you will not have too much trouble doing so by way of the various options we have found. We are here to explore the laws and options for sports gambling in order to illuminate what options you have at your disposal. Should you follow our advice you will be well on your way to gaming before the end of the day.

The federal law known as PASPA was overturned in May 2018, which gave states their own right to determine sports betting laws and regulations. Since the appeal, Alabama has not taken any measures to bring forth a sports betting industry. This leaves offshore betting sites as you only legal method of wagering unless you want to make the trip to one of the Mississippi casinos every time you want to take some action.

Betting On The NFL In Alabama

NFL betting in Alabama often gets overshadowed by college football betting. But make no mistake, NFL games can be just as exciting when you got some dollars on the line. What makes it easier for bettors to place these key bets is having one place they can go to to make these wagers and having an account with an online sportsbook may be the easier route. We know that there is always a surprising team every year that would shake things up and this is where bettors make their money. Online sportsbooks like Bovada, Betonline and others will have any possible bet you can think of on their site which is why it is recommended to get an account rather than rely on hopping state lines for a land-based sportsbook. Betting on the NFL in Alabama can be just as lucrative as betting on college football, just visit an online sportsbook and you'll see.

Legal Sports Betting Sites Accepting Alabama Residents

Residents of Alabama will find that there are many options available online. If you decide you want to hit the odds, you will have to keep in mind that the lack of regulation means that you will not be able to bet without the risk of being ripped off. That having been said, you will want to stick to the safest possible gambling sites out there. We have compiled a brief list of safe and acceptable gambling sites in order to highlight safe and legitimate gaming centers.

These sites include all the main players in the space, with Bovada, SportsBetting, BetOnline, and 5Dimes, leading the pack. Each of these sports betting services have been accepting AL customers for decades, and each offers fair, unweighted lines, vast selections of games and sports to wager on, and 100% guaranteed payouts.

Bovada - Get The Latest Odds On All Sports

Alabama is full of sports fans, due in no small part to the massively skilled Crimson Tide. If you are like us and love to wager on many games, Bovada has an unbeatable sportsbook to fuel your engines. You will find expert odds on every sport you can imagine, and you can be sure that the next time the Tide or the Tigers play, Bovada will get the lines faster than anyone else. This speed and professionalism make Bovada our #1 sportsbook for online betting, and luckily, Alabama residents are free to join up at any time.

In fact, joining Bovadaright now will prove to be more beneficial than you may think. There is a $250 Sports Welcome Bonus that will add free cash to your initial deposit. How’s that for a “Nice to meet you”? This great bonus will allow Alabama residents to place a few beginning wagers without fear of crippling that initial bankroll. Bovada’s sportsbook is almost too good to be true, and joining is 100% free.

MyBookie - The Sportsbook With The Most Prop Bets

With so many local sportsbooks options, online sportsbooks still give bettors the best betting options. MyBookie is one of the best online sportsbooks out there with so many promotions, this is your best sports betting site to approach placing wagers with. With many different sporting events and different games, MyBookie has all of these available for its users. There are plenty of ways to make money and MyBookie makes sure that their users have the chance to make it, especially when it comes to prop bets.

With different betting options like live betting and mobile betting, there is no way you cant collect earnings some way! The big bonus also is the fact that there are promotions all the time that is helping their new and current users. No matter when it is or what sporting event is going on, there is always some promotions going on! The age requirement is 18 and older to join once you sign up, you are good to go! Some promotions require a code but the main first-time deposit ones are automatically given away.

SportsBetting - Mobile App And Reduced Juice

Sports fans like to throw down in the Yellowhammer State. We don’t mean fighting, we mean throwing down wads of dough on a heated contest. Whether it is football, baseball, or MMA, there will always be a group of Alabama residents wanting to get in on some wagering action. This is why SportsBetting, one of the world’s top legal online sportsbooks with professional odds on every popular sport, is an amazing site. Not only can Alabama players sign up any time, doing so is also completely free.

SportsBetting offers exactly what its domain name says: grade-A sports wagering for anyone living in the US. Alabama sports fans can join up and start betting within minutes. You can even access the sportsbook away from the computer with SportsBetting’s awesome mobile betting feature. This allows players to bet on a game or contest with any handheld device that connects to the Internet. The future is now, and SportsBetting shows it. That’s why they accept the widest selection of cryptocurrencies on the market, including Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, DASH, Ethereum, and Litecoin! Use their code “100CRYPTO” to receive a 100% match on your first crypto deposit.

BetOnline - Best Selection Of Sports To Bet On

Alabama residents are subject to two tornado seasons, but this might actually be a boon for sports fans. BetOnline is a premier online sportsbook that allows you to place real money wagers on the Crimson Tide, the Sabers, the Tigers, or any other professional or college sports team that is out there. The best part is, BetOnline is legal for Alabama residents that are over 18. Although Alabama state law requires one to be 19 to wager, AL has no jurisdiction over BetOnline, so you can get in an extra year of odds on your favorite home and away teams.

BetOnline has a massive sportsbook that welcomes sports fans of all tastes. You will find everything from baseball to professional wrestling, but we have to say that BetOnline does college and professional football better than any other sportsbook we can think of. If you are a fan of the pigskin, you owe it to yourself to check out this amazing sportsbook today. Use it often and you can earn a 25% match on every deposit, just use the code “LIFEBONUS”.

Fastest Deposit Methods For Alabama Sportsbooks

The fastest deposits at Alabama sportsbooks, for most users, are going to be credit cards and debit cards, as these clear instantly. However, Bitcoin and other altcoins (like Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Litecoin, DASH, etc.) also have same-day (usually sub-hour) transfers, and they carry much higher deposit limits than card options.

More old-school users may want to use traditional methods like cashier’s checks, money orders, and wire transfers, and most AL sportsbooks accept these, too. However, though they carry high limits, they also take much longer to clear, often between one and two weeks. As such, they aren’t ideal for those who wish to wager right away.

Legally Bet On The 2019 Kentucky Derby In Alabama

Those that are akin to horse racing betting in Alabama know what’s at stake when it comes to betting on the 2019 Kentucky Derby. Even though simulcast racing is available in the state, they often only provide common wagering types such as a win, place, or show bet. However, many fans that enjoy betting on the ponies look to online offshore racebooks for the Kentucky Derby as they demonstrate how every aspect of the event can be a wagering possibility. Not only do Alabama residents have the option to place a traditional pari-mutuel bet, but they also have the chance to put action on various Kentucky Derby 145 prop bets such as whether or not a certain celebrity will be in attendance, what color the winning jocky’s uniform will be, how old the winning trainer will be, and so on and so forth. The current 2019 Kentucky Derby betting odds are available now and may change before the big race, so be sure to check them out sooner than later.

Best Withdrawal Options For Alabama Sportsbooks

When it comes to collecting your payouts, the best withdrawal options for Alabama sportsbooks are basically cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. Because card chargebacks are no longer used for payouts, only crypto transfers will clear the same day you request them. Crypto also has the added benefit of carrying no additional processing or transfer fees.

For those who haven’t used Bitcoin or altcoins before and wish to choose a different payout method, bank wires, money orders, and courier checks are available, though as with deposits, these will take up to 14 days to show up in your hands stateside.

Mobile Sports Betting In Alabama

Mobile sports betting in Alabama is available through the use of apps overseas. These online sportsbooks are legal for all residents of the state to use. They are licensed and regulated within their countries to do business with the US. They offer a wide variety of sports and wagers spanning the globe. Many gamblers in Alabama are already members of these sportsbooks for all of their sports betting needs.

Live In-Game Betting At Alabama Sportsbooks

Live betting, also called in-game betting, is a recent phenomenon, allowing AL sports bettors to place wagers during actual games and matchups themselves. While traditional sports betting requires all bets to be in before the game gets underway, live in-game betting at Alabama sportsbooks allows gamblers to place wagers on constantly-changing odds and lines, all game long.

Just remember, live betting is hosted at your sportsbook in real-time, meaning that any favorable odds you come across are temporary and must be acted on immediately if you wish to maximize your chances at a big payday.

Is Sports Betting Legal in Alabama?

Whether or not sports gambling is legal in Alabama is a subject that is heavily debated. The industry of online gambling is one that we have looked into frequently. If you decide you want to bet on sports, know that there are currently no laws prohibiting online sports betting in Alabama or in the rest of the country, provided you use a legal offshore betting site.

Playing offline with a live bookie, however, is inadvisable, as while it’s legal to place those bets, it’s not legal for that bookie to actually operate a sportsbook (so you run the risk of having your winnings confiscated by law enforcement before you can actually claim them).

All that said, land-based sports betting should be coming to Alabama sooner rather than later, as the Supreme Court recently overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA), thereby opening the door to every state in the Union to make its own sports betting rules and regulations. While there will be no physical Alabama sportsbooks in the state before 2019, the word on the street is that the state legislature is eyeing a big debate on the issue for the next congressional session.

Check out LegalSportsBettingSites.com for more information on the legalities of sports betting in America.

Alabama Sports Betting & Gambling Laws

The laws regarding sports gambling in Alabama only cover live sports betting, and even those are vague and outdated. There is nothing that has yet to be codified related to online gambling, and therefore you should have no fear of getting in trouble. If you want to play the odds, know that there is nothing written in the Alabama Criminal Code, Section 13A, that has banned sports gambling on the Internet.

Legal Gambling Age For Alabama Residents

The legal gambling age for Alabama residents is actually 19 years old, which is odd but not wholly unprecedented in America. That said, you can start to gamble on sports over the Internet as soon as you turn 18 years of age, as that’s how old books like Bovada, SportsBetting, 5Dimes, and BetOnline require their players to be. All that said, bear in mind that once the state finally approves land-based sports betting, it is not out of the question that they may raise this age limit to 21.

Mobile Sports Betting In Alabama

Mobile sports betting in Alabama is available through the use of apps overseas. These online sportsbooks are legal for all residents of the state to use. They are licensed and regulated within their countries to do business with the US. They offer a wide variety of sports and wagers spanning the globe. Many gamblers in Alabama are already members of these sportsbooks for all of their sports betting needs.

Land Based Gambling In Alabama

There are only a handful of venues for land-based gambling in Alabama, and all but one are reservation casinos owned and operated by the Wind Creek brand of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians of Alabama. After a lengthy legal battle, the one non-tribal gaming facility in the state – Victoryland – is finally back in business as well. Which of these locales will offer Alabama sportsbooks in the future remains to be seen, but it’s a sure thing that most of them will.

Overall, Alabama is not very friendly toward gamblers, and casinos are not a common sight in the state. Even less common are sports bookies, so you will not be able to find a person who can legally take your bets. You will find that the Internet is your safe haven for all forms of gambling in Alabama, and sports gambling in particular.

Which Cities In Alabama Are Likely To Have Sportsbooks?

Depending on how the state rolls out its sports betting program, there could be sports wagering available pretty much anywhere in Alabama. However, going off the theory that the first places to offer AL sportsbooks will be established gambling destinations, the cities in Alabama most likely to have sports betting are going to be Birmingham, Montgomery, Tuscaloosa, and Mobile (and/or the immediate surrounding areas of these specific cities).

Can I Bet On Every Team In Alabama?

Whether you are a fan of the Crimson Tide or Auburn Tigers, you can find betting lines with these offshore sites. From baseball to football, basketball, and more, you will be able to keep current with all of the collegiate sports in Alabama. If you are a fan of the Saints, Falcons, or Panthers, you can guarantee that hundreds of options will exist for each game alone. The best part about these sportsbooks is that they also double down as a racebook and offer lines on horse races too!

FAQ About Online Sports Betting In Alabama

1) Alabama's authorities have shut down many land-based casinos, saying that even bingo is a crime. How are these sites legal?

Without an explicit ban on online gambling, there is no way to prove that these sites are illegal.

2) Where can I find the gambling laws in Alabama?

This site is the most comprehensive place to find the gambling laws in Alabama (Title 13A).

3) Has an Alabaman ever been arrested for gambling online?

No. There has never been an arrest for Internet gambling in the state of Alabama, and due to both the lack of laws on the matter and the fact that AL doesn’t have the resources to enforce such laws anyways, you can confidently wager online.

4) How are these gaming sites legal if they are not actually authorized by the state?

A lack of regulation does not necessarily mean a crime is taking place, it just means that you cannot call upon a regulatory body when a gaming site rips you off. That’s why we recommend only the best legal offshore Alabama sportsbooks and gambling services that are regulated by their home countries.

5) Can a credit card be used to fund my gambling account?

Yes. Credit cards are essentially the primary deposit method for all online sportsbooks. However, in the past few years, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin have become increasingly popular as well.

6) Where are these gambling sites located?

Many online sportsbooks are based out of Costa Rica or Kahnawake (Canada). The United Kingdom and Panama are also the homes for reputable online sportsbooks

7) Do federal laws have anything to do with online sports gambling?

There are a few federal laws related to online sports betting sites, but they have nothing to do with players - only the people actually offering a sportsbook. With PASPA out of the picture, that only leaves the Wire Act and the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), and neither of these laws targets individual sports bettors or online gambling fans.

8) Is depositing a check from a gambling site safe?

Yes. Generally speaking, these checks are totally safe, though there are some instances of bounced checks due to the international nature of these sites. To be safe, always deposit your check and allow it to clear before converting your money to cash, so if there’s a problem you can much more easily resolve it with your sportsbook cashier service.

9) How do wire transfers function with these betting sites?

You will have to contact the customer service department or cashier service for your sportsbook in order to get all the necessary routing information for where you will send or receive wire-transfer-based funds.

10) Can my identity be stolen when I make deposits?

No. All of these legal online sports betting websites are completely safe, and this is why we share them with Alabama residents. They use state-of-the-art data encryption methods and do not sell your information to any third-party companies.

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Do you like to gamble? If so, then you should know that the taxman beats the odds every time you do. The Internal Revenue Service and many states consider any money you win in the casino as taxable income. This applies to all types of casual gambling – from roulette and poker tournaments to slots, bingo and even fantasy football. In some cases, the casino will withhold a percentage of your winnings for taxes before it pays you at the rate of 24 percent.

Casino Winnings Are Not Tax-Free

Casino winnings count as gambling income and gambling income is always taxed at the federal level. That includes cash from slot machines, poker tournaments, baccarat, roulette, keno, bingo, raffles, lotteries and horse racing. If you win a non-cash prize like a car or a vacation, you pay taxes on the fair market value of the item you win.

By law, you must report all your winnings on your federal income tax return – and all means all. Whether you win five bucks on the slots or five million on the poker tables, you are technically required to report it. Job income plus gambling income plus other income equals the total income on your tax return. Subtract the deductions, and you'll pay taxes on the resulting figure at your standard income tax rate.

How Much You Win Matters

While you're required to report every last dollar of winnings, the casino will only get involved when your winnings hit certain thresholds for income reporting:

• $5,000 (reduced by the wager or buy-in) from a poker tournament, sweepstakes, jai alai, lotteries and wagering pools.
  
• $1,500 (reduced by the wager) in keno winnings.
  
• $1,200 (not reduced by the wager) from slot machines or bingo
  
• $600 (reduced by the wager at the casino's discretion) for all other types of winnings but only if the payout is at least 300 times your wager.
  

Alabama Tax On Gambling Winnings

Win at or above these amounts, and the casino will send you IRS Form W2-G to report the full amount won and the amount of tax withholding if any. You will need this form to prepare your tax return.

Understand that you must report all gambling winnings to the IRS, not just those listed above. It just means that you don't have to fill out Form W2-G for other winnings. Income from table games, such as craps, roulette, blackjack and baccarat, do not require a WG-2, for example, regardless of the amount won. It's not clear why the IRS has differentiated it this way, but those are the rules. However, you still have to report the income from these games.

What is the Federal Gambling Tax Rate?

Standard federal tax withholding applies to winnings of $5,000 or more from:

• Wagering pools (this does not include poker tournaments).
  
• Lotteries.
  
• Sweepstakes.
  
• Other gambling transactions where the winnings are at least 300 times the amount wagered.
  

If you win above the threshold from these types of games, the casino automatically withholds 24 percent of your winnings for the IRS before it pays you. If you cannot provide a Social Security number, the casino will make a 'backup withholding.' A backup withholding is also applied at the rate of 24 percent, only now it includes all your gambling winnings from slot machines, keno, bingo, poker tournaments and more. This money gets passed directly to the IRS and credited against your final tax bill. Before December 31, 2017, the standard withholding rate was 25 percent and the backup rate was 28 percent.

The $5,000 threshold applies to net winnings, meaning you deduct the amount of your wager or buy-in. For example, if you won $5,500 on the poker tables but had to buy in to the game for $1,000, then you would not be subject to the minimum withholding threshold.

It's important to understand that withholding is an entirely separate requirement from reporting the winning on Form WG-2. Just because your gambling winning is reported on Form WG-2 does not automatically require a withholding for federal income taxes.

Can You Deduct Gambling Losses?

If you itemize your deductions on Schedule A, then you can also deduct gambling losses but only up to the amount of the winnings shown on your tax return. So, if you won $5,000 on the blackjack table, you could only deduct $5,000 worth of losing bets, not the $6,000 you actually lost on gambling wagers during the tax year. And you cannot carry your losses from year to year.

Michigan Gambling Winnings

The IRS recommends that you keep a gambling log or spreadsheet showing all your wins and losses. The log should contain the date of the gambling activity, type of activity, name and address of the casino, amount of winnings and losses, and the names of other people there with you as part of the wagering pool. Be sure to keep all tickets, receipts and statements if you're going to claim gambling losses as the IRS may call for evidence in support of your claim.

Alabama Tax Gambling Winnings

What About State Withholding Tax on Gambling Winnings?

There are good states for gamblers and bad states for gamblers. If you're going to 'lose the shirt off your back,' you might as well do it in a 'good' gambling state like Nevada, which has no state tax on gambling winnings. The 'bad' states tax your gambling winnings either as a flat percentage of the amount won or by ramping up the percentage owed depending on how much you won.

Each state has different rules. In Maryland, for example, you must report winnings between $500 and $5,000 within 60 days and pay state income taxes within that time frame; you report winnings under $500 on your annual state tax return and winnings over $5,000 are subject to withholding by the casino due to state taxes. Personal tax rates begin at 2 percent and increase to a maximum of 5.75 percent in 2018. In Iowa, there's an automatic 5 percent withholding for state income tax purposes whenever federal taxes are withheld.

State taxes are due in the state you won the income and different rules may apply to players from out of state. The casino should be clued in on the state's withholding laws. Speak to them if you're not clear why the payout is less than you expect.

How to Report Taxes on Casino Winnings

You should receive all of your W2-Gs by January 31 and you'll need these forms to complete your federal and state tax returns. Boxes 1, 4 and 15 are the most important as these show your taxable gambling winnings, federal income taxes withheld and state income taxes withheld, respectively.

You must report the amount specified in Box 1, as well as other gambling income not reported on a W2-G, on the 'other income' line of your IRS Form 1040. This form is being replaced with a simpler form for the 2019 tax season but the reporting requirement remains the same. If your winnings are subject to withholding, you should report the amount in the 'payment' section of your return.

Michigan Gambling Winnings Tax

Different rules apply to professional gamblers who gamble full time to earn a livelihood. As a pro gambler, your winnings will be subject to self-employment tax after offsetting gambling losses and after other allowable expenses.

Non-resident Gambling Winnings Alabama

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