[moondogg]

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that someone in the media is watching the forum and picking up on these threads. And isn't it possible that at some point these threads about how we're avoiding reporting our winnings, or polls on the same, etc. might make it into the national media?

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Seriously, not to be rude, but step back for a second and think about this. It is utterly absurd. You are not taking the "better safe than sorry" line -- you are taking the "completely paranoid about something that has no chance of happening" line.

I mean, "Ooooo, some people on 2+2 were discussing the possibility of not reporting their poker incomes. Stop the press!" Nobody cares.

By the way, don't forget that discussing these things is not a crime.

gm

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- Poker is huge
- Tax and gambling is an inherently sticky issue
- The IRS decides that witl the vast sums of money being wagered online, they should take a closer look at it
- In looking for professional poker players interacting with each other on the topic, the go to RGP. After 5 minutes, they leave RGP
- They then go to the next renowed site, 2+2
- The see 3 threads on the front page of the Zoo, and hundreds of older threads on the taxes

2+2 does represent a significant portion the online poker community, with a high concetration of the people actually making money from it. If the IRS were interested in looking closer at how poker players are reporting income or planning to report income (and the IRS would be stupid to ignore it), this is one of the first places they would/should look.

I think Kellon's point is that there has been a lot of talk on this board about the best way to cheat on your taxes. And yes, people do read it. Poker players encouraging each other to commit jailable federal crimes by evading taxes in such a public forum (along with the recent poker boom) is a good way to lead to a crackdown on gamblers tax returns.

IMHO.