The Internal Revenue Service has made it official, and starting today the winners of poker tournaments are going to have to report their earnings. When casinos pay out $5,000 or more to the winners of poker tournaments, the check will come along with a tax form. The initial IRS proposal would have had casinos holding a quarter of any winnings paid out in such a fashion, but the new proposal, now law, is seen as a bit of a compromise. The forms will serve two purposes: they will ensure that the IRS gets their cut of poker winnings, and they will form a paper trail to help the IRS keep track of poker players in general.


