IT doesn t differentiate Legal & Illegal Gambling

India Herald
 
IT doesn t differentiate Legal & Illegal Gambling
Wild Casino
No matter how you acquired your gains, the government wants a minimum of 30% of them.

Anywhere and however you have won money from playing any game—from a live casino show to an internet fantasy sports competition to a wholly unlicensed chance draw—you owe the government a large chunk of it, which in reality is more than 30%.

If you made such gains legally or illegally, it makes no difference to the exchequer in terms of taxes; either way, you must pay what is owed. SevenJackpots' most recent study, "Income Tax on Gambling Winnings," reveals this element of indian tax law on gaming winnings.

The report notes that the Union Money Tax Act states unequivocally that "any income from both legal and illicit operations is liable to taxation." In accordance with section 115BB of the Act, this also applies to "any revenue by way of gains from any lottery, crossword puzzle, race, including horse racing (...), or card game, or other game of any description, or from gambling or betting of any form or character whatsoever."

Personal income levy for gambling winners is governed by the Income Tax Department under the Central Board of Direct Taxation (CBDT), a division of the Revenue Department at the Union Ministry of Finance. This is in contrast to corporate taxes for gaming operators, which may vary from state to state.

All earnings from casino apps and browser-based games, fantasy sports and skill gaming sites, lotteries, horse races, and any other gaming activities that surpass the non-taxable yearly minimum of $10,000 are subject to a flat tax of 30% plus certain surcharges.

All income tax payments are subject to the health and education Cess, which increases their value by 4% and raises the effective levy rate to 31.2 percent. The Cess's revenues, as its name implies, are intended to support important national initiatives in the fields of health and education.

For gains beyond 50 lakh rupees or 1 crore rupees, respectively, there are additional surcharges of 10 or 15 percent. Except in lotteries, gains of this size are uncommon in gaming. Typically, when a large jackpot is won at an online casino, the platform distributes the winnings in a number of different transactions.

The majority of Indian-based online and land-based gaming platforms subtract the necessary taxes in accordance with the law before handing out wins in the form of Tax Deducted at Source (TDS). On the other hand, most offshore gaming websites deliver all winnings to players, who are then responsible for filing and paying any applicable taxes.