To me it's a gamble, you shouldn't have to pay taxes on money you're not guaranteed to win. You work a job, you're expecting to make money. You gamble, you're always on the worse side of the bet no matter what you want to tell yourself or how smart you think you are. They letting you write off your losses? Hey, if you don't win, oh well, but if you get lucky, we want your money. Bullshit, and that's coming from a gambler on a few levels.