Yes, you can use losses from Indiana against your winnings from Michigan. Gambling losses are indeed tax deductible, but only to the extent of your winnings. This requires you to report all the money you win as taxable income on your return. However, the deduction for your losses is only available if you are eligible to itemize your deductions. If you claim the standard deduction, then you can't reduce your tax by your gambling losses.
The amount of gambling losses you can deduct can never exceed the winnings you report as income. For example, if you have $5,000 in winnings but $8,000 in losses, your deduction is limited to $5,000. You could not write off the remaining $3,000, or carry it forward to future years.
To report your gambling losses, you must be eligible to itemize your income tax deductions on Schedule A. You are eligible to itemize deductions if your gambling losses plus all other itemized expenses are greater than the standard deduction for your filing status. This means that if you claim the standard deduction, you are still obligated to report and pay tax on all winnings you earn during the year. However, you will not be able to deduct any of your losses.
