Casino is one form of recreation activity that many people can’t resist. Fortune, fame, and money, these are the major reasons why they continue to kingcobratoto in both land based and online casinos. And despite the risks and dangers that can come into a gambler’s way, number of individuals who engage in this thing is still elevating.
But one question strikes into my mind: “where do people really gamble the most? Land based or internet casino?” upon getting curious I made a survey/research and asked some people who play gambling games regularly. And here’s the result: gamblers tend to play their favorite games in the internet most often. Meaning, if you will look from a bird’s view, you will see that the number of online gamblers are higher than those who play in a brick and mortar casino. And according to a survey done in Atlantic City, online gambling appeals more to women than men. While in Sydney, Australia, 92% of all online gamblers are male.
Getting into the result, another question strikes into my mind: “what are the reasons why people tend to hate land based casinos and switch to online gambling?” Here’s what I’ve got:
Inconvenience – The advancement of technology in this present generation brings a lot of convenience that you can now just sit and relax while playing. While in land based gambling houses, you still have to wave your way to the nearest casino if you want to play (there’s an exemption to those who are just a few blocks away).
Easier said than done, obstacles are surely in your way such as heavy traffic, expenses for gasoline (if you have a car), pollution, other expenses like food, drinks, tips, transportation and many more. And those hindrances will ’cause you intense stress that will probably end up in losing your money.
Gamblers with bad attitude and behavior – Whether you like it or not, you’ll probably encounter people with no good manners and right conduct inside the casino like those who play drunk, shouting foul words, and any other attitude that you’ll not like. If you will just let them do what they want, losing your concentration would be the result. If you confront them, it might turn into a fight. So you have to choice but to just get used to it.
No Personal Privacy – If you are good at playing poker, chances are you can attract huge number of crowd in your back. Good if they stay silent. But sometimes they keep on talking and talking with each other, giving their opinion of what’s the best move, etc. That if I were the player, I would surely be annoyed with them.
Noisy and Polluted Environment – Most casino houses allow gamblers to smoke and drink inside their establishment, which is not in favor with those who don’t smoke and drink. About the noise, combining the sounds of slot machines, roulette, plus yelling gamblers, it will surely create a very annoying sound that will interrupt your concentration.
No Casino Bonuses – One of the sweetest rewards that an online gambler can get from a gambling website is the online casino bonuses which can’t be found in a land based casino. Sad but true, the moment you enter a real gambling house, you will surely see things written above, those are the things that will welcome you. Unlike if you play online, once you get your account, you have automatically gained the so-called “welcome bonus” that you can use to add to your bankroll.
According to one person I asked, “You will not get a bonus money if you enter a real casino. All you can see are those annoying people and impolite crews.” He also said “I was a former gambler in one of the most prestigious casinos in Vegas. But after trying to play in an internet casino, I realized that there’s so much to gain here than playing in a real casino.”
They included a copy of the W2G form that she (according to them) had neglected to claim on her Federal tax return. Mom had not been to that Delaware casino in that year because there are now more than enough casinos in our state where you can play and lose your money.
My mother did not know where to begin to get this resolved, so she called for my help. As an accountant, my first thought was to see a copy of the receipt the winner had signed when she collected her jackpot. Mom called and asked the accounting department to fax a copy of the receipt to me.
It clearly was not my mother’s signature on the receipt. After a second call to the casino, we learned several things about how the accounting is handled at casinos.
Turns out there is another person with the same name as my mother, but a different address and Social Security number. This person and my mother had both signed up for the casino’s ‘club’ card, and I suppose they each had to supply their Social Security number. This is the card you put into the slot machine you’re playing that is supposed to track your winnings and provide points for free meals, etc.
However, it looks like the casino had not bothered to verify the correct SSN when they filled out the paperwork for the winner, and therefore filed an incorrect W2G to the Internal Revenue Service for that jackpot. Meanwhile, my mother was being billed for the tax on the winnings, plus penalties and interest, while the real winner was not, and the clock kept ticking on the interest until this was resolved.
Another call to the casino was a little frustrating, as the accounting department had no idea how to solve the problem. (As an accountant, I knew they would have to send in a corrected W2G under my mother’s SSN stating no income, along with a new W2G stating the earnings for the winner under the correct SSN.) We called the IRS and they confirmed the need for the casino to file these two forms, and then we had to call the casino to explain how they needed to do their job to correct this.
Weeks later, Mom received a corrected W2G from the casino and I wrote a letter to IRS explaining the situation and asked for the penalties and interest be reversed. Eventually the case with the IRS was resolved, but not without a lot of frustration and time. The casino did not seem too fazed with the error – they did apologize, but we will never go there again. I had Mom call them to cancel her ‘club’ card so this wouldn’t happen again-to her, at least.
The lesson learned here is… if you do enjoy playing the slots or table games at a casino, do be sure to keep track of your winnings. If it’s available to you, ask the casino for a list of your year-to-date winnings at the end of December to make sure it agrees with your actual figures, and question anything that looks wrong. I am sure there are jackpot winners who wind up paying tax on money they didn’t win.