A recent win by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) at the Administrative Review Tribunal has come as a timely reminder to any gamblers to keep records of any regular winnings, with the ATO setting its sights on betting income and other “side hustle” earnings.

It’s one of many wins the tax office has had at the tribunal in cases of taxing unexplained deposits as income. In one case, Ti Ke Tran (or Lucky Eddie, as he is known by at the Crown and Star casinos) did not lodge a tax return for several years, claiming he was living off his poker and sports betting winnings.

As Kenny Rogers once said: never count your money while you’re sitting at the table, there’ll be time enough for counting when the ATO comes.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer

The trouble........

© The Sydney Morning Herald