Private ruling: Am I in business
Published: July 2011
Ruling period: Year ended 30 June 2010
Date scheme commenced: 1 July 2009

Ruling: Q1: Is the money that you receive from your gambling activities considered to be assessable income? | A1: No | Q2: Are you entitled to claim a deduction in relation to your gambling expenses? | A2: No

Relevant facts and circumstances: You have been involved in gambling activities for a number of years. You spend approximately three hours per day reviewing information, placing bets and watching races. You do not keep detailed records of your gambling activities or race results.

Relevant legislative provisions: Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 Section 6-5 Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 Section 8-1

Reasons for decision: Summary: Under subsection 6-5(2) of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (ITAA 1997), the assessable income of an Australian resident includes ordinary income derived directly or indirectly from all sources during the income year. Ordinary income has generally been held to include three categories, namely, income from rendering personal services, income from property and income from carrying on a business. Section 8-1 of the ITAA 1997 allows a deduction for all losses and outgoings to the extent that they are incurred in gaining or producing assessable income, or necessarily incurred in carrying on a business for the purpose of gaining or producing assessable income, except where the outgoings are of a capital, private or domestic nature, or relate to the earning of exempt income. Betting and gambling wins are not assessable under section 6-5 of the ITAA 1997 and losses are not deductible under section 8-1 of the ITAA 1997, unless you are carrying on a business of betting or gambling. Taxation Ruling IT 2655 discusses the Commissioner's view on whether betting and gambling can be considered to be carrying on a business. This ruling states at paragraph 7: Ultimately each case will depend on its own facts. There is no Australian case in which the winnings of a mere punter have been held to be assessable (or the losses deductible). As Hill J stated in Babka v FC of T 89 ATC 4963; (1989) 20 ATR 1251, although mere punting may constitute a business, the intrusion of chance into the activity as a predominant ingredient will generally preclude such a finding. If a taxpayer is involved in other business activities in the racing industry, it will be more likely that betting activities are of a business nature. The court in Brajkovich v. FC of T 89 ATC 5227;(1989) 20 ATR 1570 ( Brajkovich's case) , identified the following criteria for determining whether or not a person is in the business of gambling. These criteria are: 1. Whether the betting is conducted in a systematic, organised and businesslike way Courts have held that to determine this issue, it is necessary to examine the manner in which the gambling activities are conducted. For example, did the taxpayer rent an office, employ staff, use a database to calculate odds, take steps to lessen and exclude the element of chance and maintain adequate records? 2. The scale of the gambling activities The volume and size of bets are significant in most forms of gambling. However, the Court in Evans v. FC of T 89 ATC 4540; (1989) 20 ATR 922 found that scale itself is not determinative of the outcome. The taxpayer in Brajkovich's case did not carry on a business of gambling. The taxpayer bet over $950,000 in three years and was involved in horse training. 3. Whether betting is related to or part of other activities of a businesslike character Generally where a taxpayer is carrying on a business of betting or gambling, the betting transactions are connected with some other activity which itself constitutes a business carried on by the taxpayer, for example, breeding or training horses ( Prince v. FC of T (1959) 7 AITR 505; 12 ATD 45). The taxpayer in that case conducted a business as a bookmaker and also had interests in a horse training business. 4. Whether the gambling activity is principally for profit or principally for pleasure? Issues such as attending race meetings and having a passion for gambling need to be considered when determining if the activities are conducted for profit or pleasure. In Brajkovich's case the Court said "the gambler who seeks to demonstrate that he is a businessman has more to show than those who engage in more conventionally 'commercial' activities". 5. Whether the form of betting chosen is likely to reward skill and judgement or depends purely on chance In Brajkovich's case the Court said: Gambling which involves a significant element of skill, for example a professional golfer's betting on himself, is more likely to have tax consequences than gambling on merely random events. It is difficult to imagine how people in the latter category could be regarded as in a gambling business. Particularly this is so where the house takes a percentage, so that the overall result is necessarily a continual diminution of the collective funds of the customers. Although many roulette players sometimes earn substantial sums by their efforts, it is hard to see how one could characterise as a business playing a game in which the results are (or should be) purely random and in which there is a high probability that each player will lose in the long run… 6. Whether the gambling activity is of a kind ordinarily thought of as a hobby or pastime Betting on horse racing and other sporting events is ordinarily thought of as a hobby or pastime rather than engaging in a business. In Babka v. FC of T 89 ATC 4963; (1989) 20 ATR 1251 ( Babka's case ) it was held: A taxpayer who did no more than bet could never be regarded as carrying on a business, regardless of the frequency, scale or system-based nature of the betting. A pastime does not turn into a business merely because a person devotes considerable time to it and has retired from a previous full time profession. In Babka's case , the taxpayer's activities were not so considerable, systematic and organised that they could be said to exceed those of a keen follower of the turf and that the element of chance as a dominant ingredient will usually preclude such a finding. In your case, you have been involved in gambling for a number of years. Despite the fact that you may have gained experience in gambling over this time, it is still considered that your overall financial gains will be dependant on chance rather than skill. Also, whilst your gambling involves a large amount of funds and is carried out on a regular basis, these activities do not appear to be systematic or organised in a businesslike manner. As in Babka's case your gambling activities can not be said to exceed that of a keen follower of racing. Therefore, as you are not carrying on a business of betting or gambling, the winnings you receive in relation to this activity are not assessable under section 6-5 of the ITAA 1997 and the expenses related to this activity are not deductible under section 8-1 of the ITAA 1997.

Please check this edited version to be sure that there are no details remaining that you think may allow you to be identified. Contact us at the address given in the fact sheet if you have any concerns.