A lot of it depends on the state as well. My federal would've been fine, but being a West Virginia resident, I wasn't able to deduct the gambling losses as they don't allow itemized deductions for gambling losses. Had I been filing in a neighboring state, I would have been fine deducting the losses on my state return. Makes absolutely no sense. Apparently WV would rather bankrupt their residents over casual and admittedly addictive gambling than allow it to be deducted. Especially with the emergence of online betting in many states and the extremely addictive nature of gambling, something needs to be done to help prevent people from being blindsided come tax season.
