Zhu v. Comm'r

2010 T.C. Summary Opinion 67, 2010 Tax Ct. Summary LEXIS 87
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedJune 1, 2010
DocketDocket No. 1700-09S.
StatusUnpublished

This text of 2010 T.C. Summary Opinion 67 (Zhu v. Comm'r) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Tax Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Zhu v. Comm'r, 2010 T.C. Summary Opinion 67, 2010 Tax Ct. Summary LEXIS 87 (tax 2010).

Opinion

HONG ZHU, Petitioner v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent
Zhu v. Comm'r
Docket No. 1700-09S.
United States Tax Court
T.C. Summary Opinion 2010-67; 2010 Tax Ct. Summary LEXIS 87;
June 1, 2010, Filed

PURSUANT TO INTERNAL REVENUE CODE SECTION 7463(b), THIS OPINION MAY NOT BE TREATED AS PRECEDENT FOR ANY OTHER CASE.

*87

Decision will be entered under Rule 155.

Hong Zhu, Pro se.
Jonathan Kalinski, for respondent.
LARO, Judge.

LARO

LARO, Judge: This case was heard pursuant to the provisions of section 7463 of the Internal Revenue Code in effect when the petition was filed. 1 Pursuant to section 7463(b), the decision to be entered is not reviewable by any other court, and this opinion shall not be treated as precedent for any other case.

Respondent determined an $ 8,251 deficiency in petitioner's 2006 Federal income tax due to disallowed gambling losses. Respondent also determined a $ 1,650 accuracy-related penalty under section 6662(a). Respondent included those determinations in a notice of deficiency issued to petitioner on October 20, 2008. Respondent later asserted an increased deficiency of $ 103,221 and an additional accuracy-related penalty of $ 20,644.20, due to $ 332,995 in unreported proceeds received from the sale of stock. The parties now agree that petitioner had a $ 327,539 basis *88 in that stock and that petitioner did not report the resulting short-term capital gain of $ 5,456 ($ 332,995 - $ 327,539).

The issues for decision are: (1) Whether petitioner may deduct her claimed gambling losses to the extent of her gambling winnings, (2) whether petitioner is liable for an accuracy-related penalty on overstated gambling losses, and (3) whether petitioner is liable for an accuracy-related penalty on her $ 5,456 unreported capital gain.

Background

The parties' stipulation of facts and the accompanying exhibits are incorporated herein by this reference. We find the stipulated facts accordingly. When the petition was filed, petitioner resided in California.

During 2006, petitioner earned $ 9,220 in wages working part time at a restaurant. She also reported for that year $ 56,434 in gambling winnings, for which she received a total of 14 Forms W-2G, Certain Gambling Winnings, from Mirage Resort & Casino (Mirage) and Pechanga Resort & Casino (Pechanga). The payor and the winnings shown on each of these Forms W-2G are as follows:

PayorWinningsTotal
Pechanga$ 2,500
Pechanga2,500
Pechanga1,700
Pechanga4,000
Pechanga2,000
Pechanga10,034
Pechanga10,000
Pechanga10,000
Pechanga4,000
Pechanga3,000
Pechanga2,500$ 52,234
Mirage1,500
Mirage1,500
Mirage1,2004,200
56,434

Petitioner *89 reported $ 56,434 in gambling losses on her 2006 Schedule A, Itemized Deductions.

Petitioner gambled for fun. She went to Mirage once or twice, and she went to Pechanga an undetermined number of times. She also gambled at a third location, the Bicycle Casino. 2 She typically went to a casino with approximately $ 500, and she bet that money and continued to gamble with her winnings until she lost all of her gambling money or left the casino for the day. Petitioner estimates that her net loss from gambling was approximately $ 2,000 or $ 3,000 in 2006.

Petitioner played at the casinos blackjack, mini baccarat, pai gow poker, roulette, or slot machines. She gambled predominantly at the slot machines and regularly bet $ 100 or more. Petitioner used a card issued by Pechanga each time she gambled there. The card tracked her wins and losses, and at the end of the day, she cashed out the tokens and tickets she received as winnings during the day.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

F. L. McClanahan v. United States
292 F.2d 630 (Fifth Circuit, 1961)
Cohan v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue
39 F.2d 540 (Second Circuit, 1930)
HIGBEE v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE
116 T.C. No. 28 (U.S. Tax Court, 2001)
Drews v. Commissioner
25 T.C. 1354 (U.S. Tax Court, 1956)
Neely v. Commissioner
85 T.C. No. 56 (U.S. Tax Court, 1985)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2010 T.C. Summary Opinion 67, 2010 Tax Ct. Summary LEXIS 87, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/zhu-v-commr-tax-2010.