A controversial question

[danherbias07]

I think they should be, and in fact, it should be mandatory. Since we are all going to lose anyway, it will be better if those funds go to something with a good purpose. Taxes are used for economic upgrade or other things that could be built to make life easier for the people.

I have heard how much the taxes are in the cockpit near us, and it's large. There's no such thing as x2.00 when you win betting for whatever rooster you like. If it wins, it's you get either x1.6 or maybe even lower than that because of the tax that was already taken from the winner. I don't understand why the gamblers are still betting even with that low profit if they win. I guess they just like that type of sport.
Thankfully, most of the taxes taken from there were now being used by the city to light the streets and build more roads to access many places.

[dimonstration]

Who consider at as controversial while gambling industry is a legit business therefore charging taxes is legal and using it for public service is the main purpose of taxes.

I will be happy if government use it on public service rather than completely banning gambling without any profit from it while citizens is still able to do online gambling through VPN use in online casino.

The only sad thing is government use the money for corruption rather than public service.

If leaders are wise, they will never completely ban the gambling industry. Yes, there will be regulation, but within reasonable limits, so as not to overdo it. If they clamp down too much, such businesses will slip into the gray zone. Then, collecting taxes will become much more difficult, if it's even possible. Combating illegal casinos will require spending money from the treasury. Thus, the government is shooting itself in the foot. And how long has it been since we've seen smart leaders? It seems they've all disappeared. Some marginalized individuals are taking over.

In my country, Our current leader has the most performance among all the presidents. On his terms corruption skyrocketed a lot in many different sector of the government including the national lottery that literally a mystery winner keeps winning multiple times.

On his terms, POGO was banned instead of regulating while it gives a lot of job to Filipino workers and generates huge income that use on government charity sectors.

It’s true that it just need a smart leader to regulate it.

[davis196]

Some may consider this a controversial question: Should governments be making profit from the gambling industry and use said profit for public services?

But my answer for this question is yes there should be no problem with the government making use of the gambling industry because to me the gambling industry is just almost the same as other industries where the country makes their money from like tourism for example. All the industries have its own negative effects and gambling has too so I do not see any reason why the govt shouldn't be taking advantage of the gambling industry,

It will only be hypocritical if they are restricting gambling but wanting to get benefits from it.

What kind of "profit" are you talking about? The governments impose taxes over the gambling industry. This is tax revenue, not profit.
Are you suggesting that the governments should create and run government-owned casinos and sports betting platforms, that would make profits? I haven't seen this to work anywhere around the world.
Should the governments use tax revenue from the gambling industry to fund public services? Yes. Alcohol and tobacco is also being taxed and the tax revenue is being used by the governments. I can't see why gambling tax revenue shouldn't be used by the governments to fund public services.

[KiaKia]

Some may consider this a controversial question: Should governments be making profit from the gambling industry and use said profit for public services?

Your question is not a controversial one, it is very simple to answer, yes, they can use the money realized from gambling for the community development, we are the ones paying  for all these, so we should be able to also have access to the benefits that may comes from it, that is the same way the utility of tax is being done, they use the money in building the society.

Are you saying this is the same to all country? I refuse to accept it because a country where is is high level of corruption will prefer to take from the public and use the money for their own selfish gains.

This is sadly what is going on with my country, there is never a time in the last 10 years that the government did something big for the consumptions of the people, a country where many resources are available.

They choose to rather steal from people and make them pay more through tax and do nothing back, in the US at least they have something called tax refund, such doesn't exist over here.

[nullama]

I think they should be, and in fact, it should be mandatory. Since we are all going to lose anyway, it will be better if those funds go to something with a good purpose. Taxes are used for economic upgrade or other things that could be built to make life easier for the people.

I have heard how much the taxes are in the cockpit near us, and it's large. There's no such thing as x2.00 when you win betting for whatever rooster you like. If it wins, it's you get either x1.6 or maybe even lower than that because of the tax that was already taken from the winner. I don't understand why the gamblers are still betting even with that low profit if they win. I guess they just like that type of sport.
Thankfully, most of the taxes taken from there were now being used by the city to light the streets and build more roads to access many places.

Yeah, governments need that money to fund things like programs for rehabilitation for gamblers in problematic situations, etc.

It's the main benefit that the governments get when they decide to take on gambling.

If they don't get that money, then what's really the benefit in the end?, makes no sense.

[Fiatless]

That’s quite a big amount though especially if they are taking from individual gamblers and not casinos. I would understand if they tax profit making casinos but gamblers who win sometimes shouldn’t be taxed this much. imo

Collecting 10% to 30% from gambling wins is high. I hope gamblers would be allowed to deduct their losses before calculating their taxable income. The government shouldn't be only interested in the taxing wins because these gamblers have experienced losses before they get some wins. But the bottom line is that these taxes should be used for the good of the people.

[DaNNy001]

Some may consider this a controversial question: Should governments be making profit from the gambling industry and use said profit for public services?

Your question is not a controversial one, it is very simple to answer, yes, they can use the money realized from gambling for the community development, we are the ones paying  for all these, so we should be able to also have access to the benefits that may comes from it, that is the same way the utility of tax is being done, they use the money in building the society.

Highlighting what you said "for community development " if that's the case then it's accepted but in a case whereby the government of a particular country isn't accountable or transparent then it's going to be difficult for gambling industries to comply..for those that live in third world countries they can understand what I'm saying...if the revenue would be used effectively then there's no problem with that

[GiftedMAN]

Collecting 10% to 30% from gambling wins is high. I hope gamblers would be allowed to deduct their losses before calculating their taxable income. The government shouldn't be only interested in the taxing wins because these gamblers have experienced losses before they get some wins. But the bottom line is that these taxes should be used for the good of the people.

Is this not madness from the side of the government to collect such amount from the wins of gamblers? Like the government would collect up to 30% from a gambler after winning when they are not helping them to fund their accounts and they don't refund them when they lose may be they don't want people to gamble again. If they will be responsible for paying back up to 30% of the losses of gamblers then there will no problems of they decide to tax gamblers from their wins.

[Fivestar4everMVP]

Some may consider this a controversial question: Should governments be making profit from the gambling industry and use said profit for public services?

But my answer for this question is yes there should be no problem with the government making use of the gambling industry because to me the gambling industry is just almost the same as other industries where the country makes their money from like tourism for example. All the industries have its own negative effects and gambling has too so I do not see any reason why the govt shouldn't be taking advantage of the gambling industry,

It will only be hypocritical if they are restricting gambling but wanting to get benefits from it.

And my question is, who are the government going to be making the said money from?, the casinos or the gamblers? Because if the government are going to be making that money from the gamblers, then it's a complete no no..

Gamblers already go through a lot, they lose money that even if they spend their entire lifetime gambling, they will never recover because they are still likely going to be losing even more, its already known that almost 100% of gamblers end up losing in the long term..
Now, imagine I started gambling with $100, I ended up losing the entire money, I then again managed to raise $50 and continued gambling, and just before the whole $50 was to go down the drain again, I luckily won $20, and government comes around and wants me to pay tax on the $20 I won, what happens to the $130 I've lost in total, who's going to pay me tax on that?

Government can make their money from casinos and not from gamblers, because running a casino is a business but gambling is not a business, and to the best of my knowledge, it's businesses that pay taxes,

[Odusko]

Collecting 10% to 30% from gambling wins is high. I hope gamblers would be allowed to deduct their losses before calculating their taxable income. The government shouldn't be only interested in the taxing wins because these gamblers have experienced losses before they get some wins. But the bottom line is that these taxes should be used for the good of the people.

Is this not madness from the side of the government to collect such amount from the wins of gamblers? Like the government would collect up to 30% from a gambler after winning when they are not helping them to fund their accounts and they don't refund them when they lose may be they don't want people to gamble again. If they will be responsible for paying back up to 30% of the losses of gamblers then there will no problems of they decide to tax gamblers from their wins.

This is a dead end to gamblers because the government is about to push them to the wall, we are filled with uncertainty in the gambling community as recent moves from government towards taxing gambling winnings will definitely drain gamblers the energy to push through with the pressure that comes from gambling loses and the taxes that their stand to pay if the eventually wins.

[Sandra_hakeem]

Some may consider this a controversial question: Should governments be making profit from the gambling industry and use said profit for public services?

it depends on their overall contribution and how they develop the system in a way to either reduce the risk of gamblers losing their funds to fraudulent casinos by regulating the system or by protecting the interest of every gambler. If the government can place censorships on how often, or how much they can gamble with, at a time, I believe they can be liable to make profits from what's left.
They can get all the money, but when they don't care about the outcome and excesses, that's where the problem comes in.

But my answer for this question is yes there should be no problem with the government making use of the gambling industry because to me the gambling industry is just almost the same as other industries where the country makes their money from like tourism for example. All the industries have its own negative effects and gambling has too so I do not see any reason why the govt shouldn't be taking advantage of the gambling industry,

It will only be hypocritical if they are restricting gambling but wanting to get benefits from it.

[Satofan44]

Yeah, governments need that money to fund things like programs for rehabilitation for gamblers in problematic situations, etc.

Governments do not need more money.

If they don't get that money, then what's really the benefit in the end?, makes no sense.

Nonsense, get a basic lesson in economics first. Any economic activity generates a variety of benefits. Only if the casinos are registered outside of the country, do not hire anyone in that country and pay no tax of any kind could it be considered that there is no benefit at all. Nevertheless, that could be a sign of a market failure as no viable local competitor has arisen.

And my question is, who are the government going to be making the said money from?, the casinos or the gamblers? Because if the government are going to be making that money from the gamblers, then it's a complete no no..

All taxes are paid by the consumer or the buyer, not the provider or the seller. The casino will just raise fees and the house edge to maintain the same profitability as before. This is why higher taxes usually lead to higher prices, businesses just pass them down onto the consumer.

Gamblers already go through a lot, they lose money that even if they spend their entire lifetime gambling, they will never recover because they are still likely going to be losing even more, its already known that almost 100% of gamblers end up losing in the long term..

This is not really a viable line of arguing this point. Should we do the same for cigarette smokers? Make the tax 0% because smokers are already going through a lot?  

This is a dead end to gamblers because the government is about to push them to the wall, we are filled with uncertainty in the gambling community as recent moves from government towards taxing gambling winnings will definitely drain gamblers the energy to push through with the pressure that comes from gambling loses and the taxes that their stand to pay if the eventually wins.

Stupid nonsense, there are already taxes on any winnings. If you are not paying them it is more likely that you are committing tax fraud than that there are no taxes. 10 to 30% on taxes for this is nothing. Deal with it, stop whining. If you don't like it you have a choice. Stop playing or move to another country.

[Orpichukwu]

This is a dead end to gamblers because the government is about to push them to the wall, we are filled with uncertainty in the gambling community as recent moves from government towards taxing gambling winnings will definitely drain gamblers the energy to push through with the pressure that comes from gambling loses and the taxes that their stand to pay if the eventually wins.

I personally won’t be that enthusiastic to gamble more if my every win is being taxed, considering that those wins hardly come by and when I finally get to secure a win, I’m being taxed, I mean that’s just absurd. Even if I’m solely gambling for fun, those wins serves as good compensation for the losses, and sharing those wins isn’t something I’ll be happy to do, especially not with the government.

[Ojima-ojo]

That’s quite a big amount though especially if they are taking from individual gamblers and not casinos. I would understand if they tax profit making casinos but gamblers who win sometimes shouldn’t be taxed this much. imo

Collecting 10% to 30% from gambling wins is high. I hope gamblers would be allowed to deduct their losses before calculating their taxable income. The government shouldn't be only interested in the taxing wins because these gamblers have experienced losses before they get some wins. But the bottom line is that these taxes should be used for the good of the people.

Here iny country, gambling winning are taxed but what we have being battling with the government is the extent of the fairness of the countries gambling laws because for a law that take tax in winning, what happens to gambler's losses, so if tax should be deducted it should be based on the monthly accumulated wagering amount, this way both the loses and the winning are duely taxed.

[Tmoonz]

That’s quite a big amount though especially if they are taking from individual gamblers and not casinos. I would understand if they tax profit making casinos but gamblers who win sometimes shouldn’t be taxed this much. imo

Collecting 10% to 30% from gambling wins is high. I hope gamblers would be allowed to deduct their losses before calculating their taxable income. The government shouldn't be only interested in the taxing wins because these gamblers have experienced losses before they get some wins. But the bottom line is that these taxes should be used for the good of the people.

Here iny country, gambling winning are taxed but what we have being battling with the government is the extent of the fairness of the countries gambling laws because for a law that take tax in winning, what happens to gambler's losses, so if tax should be deducted it should be based on the monthly accumulated wagering amount, this way both the loses and the winning are duely taxed.

Honestly this doesn't sounds good the taxes government are collecting from the gambling firms should be enough making such extension of taxing gamblers sounds very awkward like it doesn't make any sense at all, winning is hardly to come by and it mostly losses in the long run and it is only but a few out of many that can be in profits in the long run, in my opinion taxing gamblers should be something completely out of place, while am typing am really angry over this kind of situation because for us to have a winning is enough struggle and shouldn't be taxed when it finally happens.

[LUCKMCFLY]

In my country gambling and betting are allowed and government takes the cut. The government taxes winnings from 10 % up to 30 %, depending on the amount won.

In my opinion it is ok, as long as the taxes are spent purposely on infrastructure or improving quality of life of the citizens and not corruption.

A 10% isn't bad, it's respectable and you pay it willingly When there's corruption like in my country, it doesn't cause any harm because they sometimes seek 100% of the profits, so that's what bothers people If you don't pay, then they evict you from your business and leave you with nothing, they take your machinery and everything you had. Sometimes that really hinders development.

[Rashlyowl]

Honestly this doesn't sounds good the taxes government are collecting from the gambling firms should be enough making such extension of taxing gamblers sounds very awkward like it doesn't make any sense at all, winning is hardly to come by and it mostly losses in the long run and it is only but a few out of many that can be in profits in the long run, in my opinion taxing gamblers should be something completely out of place, while am typing am really angry over this kind of situation because for us to have a winning is enough struggle and shouldn't be taxed when it finally happens.

I completely agree with your statement regarding expanding the tax levy imposed on gamblers. Gambling isn't a livelihood, but rather a form of entertainment that can be both profitable & detrimental. Gambling should never be considered a primary occupation, as no one can ever become wealthy from the proceeds of gambling. Therefore, taxing gambling, even on large amounts, seems unethical & illogical. The potential for losses can be detrimental to a gambler's mental & emotional well-being & having to worry about paying taxes on the gambling experience makes things even worse.