I sometimes play the lottery and have never won. Can I deduct my losing tickets?
Gambling losses are only deductible to the extent of gambling winnings. If you have not won any money then your losses are not deductible. Always save your losing tickets throughout the year. We once had a client, who was a moderate gambler, throw away his losing tickets all year long. In November, he won $5,000 from a MD Lottery scratch off ticket. He had no records to document his losses to offset his winnings because he threw away his losing tickets from January thru October.
