Sports-betting winnings paid to nonresident alien required 30 percent withholding

Plain-English summary

Chief Counsel addressed U.S. withholding on sports-betting winnings paid to a nonresident alien. For a U.S. taxpayer, the payment would not have triggered Form W-2G reporting or withholding under IRC § 3402(q) because the proceeds were not at least 300 times the wager. Those domestic gambling rules did not control the foreign taxpayer's payment. Gambling winnings paid to a nonresident alien and not effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business generally face 30 percent withholding under IRC § 1441(a), with reporting on Forms 1042 and 1042-S. The taxpayer's country did not have a treaty exemption listed for the relevant year, and the recipient had not established entitlement to a reduced treaty rate. The advice therefore concluded that the winnings required 30 percent withholding.

Ruling snapshot

• Question: What withholding and reporting rules apply to U.S. sports-betting winnings paid to a nonresident alien?
• Outcome: Advice given, 30 percent withholding and Forms 1042 and 1042-S were required
• Key authorities: IRC §§ 871(j), 1441(a), 1441(c)(11), 3402(q), 3406, 6041; Treas. Reg. §§ 31.3402(q)-1, 31.3406(g)-2(d)(2)

Full text (IRS public release)

ID: CCA_2025082122300000 [Third Party Communication:

UILC: 3402.05-00, 1441.00-00 Date of Communication: Month DD, YYYY]

Number: 202547016
Release Date: 11/21/2025
From: ---------------------
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 09:10:00 AM
To: ---------------------
Cc: ---------------------
Bcc:
Subject: RE: Question regarding IRC 3402(q) and sports book betting

-------,

Per the below analysis, the winnings were subject to 30% withholding pursuant to I.R.C. §
1441(a) and were reportable on Form 1042, Annual Withholding Tax Return for U.S. Source
Income of Foreign Persons, and Form 1042-S, Foreign Person's U.S. Source Income Subject to
Withholding.

Gains from wagering transactions, including sports wagering, are included in gross income for
Federal income tax purposes. Because sports betting transactions are considered wagering,
they are subject to the information reporting requirements of I.R.C. § 6041. As outlined in Treas.
Reg. § 31.3406(g)-2(d)(2), “[a] gambling winning . . . . is a reportable gambling winning only if
the amount paid with respect to the wager is $600 or more and if the proceeds are at least 300
times as large as the amount wagered” (emphasis added). So, were your taxpayer not a foreign
national, the casino would have been correct in not issuing a W-2G for the winnings received
because they did not exceed at least 300 times the amount wagered. Similarly, pursuant to
Treas. Reg. § 31.3402(q)-1(b)(1)(iii), withholding would not have been required on the winnings
because it is only required on “other” wagering transactions, such as sports bets, that exceed
$5,000 and where the winnings are at least 300 times the amount wagered. This analysis would
hold even with a hypothetically larger prize with a similar wager to proceeds ratio.

However, your taxpayer is a --------------citizen and resident. Payments of gambling winnings to
a nonresident alien individual aren't subject to reporting or withholding on Form W-2G, and they
are generally exempt from withholding under section 3402(q)(2). Instead, gambling winnings
paid to a foreign person that are not effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business are
generally subject to 30% withholding under section 1441(a). Such payments are reportable on
Form 1042 and Form 1042-S. Although not relevant here, winnings of a nonresident alien from
blackjack, baccarat, craps, roulette, big-6 wheel, or a live dog or horse race in the United States
from legal wagers initiated outside the United States in a parimutuel pool aren't subject to
withholding or reporting under section 1441(a). See I.R.C. §§ 871(j); 1441(c)(11); Pub. 515,
Withholding of Tax on Nonresident Aliens and Foreign Entities.

Gambling income of residents of certain foreign countries is not taxable by the United States
pursuant to treaties with those countries. ------------was not one of those countries as listed in
Pub. 515 for 2022. Further, a reduced or zero rate of withholding of tax must not be applied by
the payer in lieu of the rate imposed by the Code unless the person receiving the winnings has
provided to the payer the documentation required to establish entitlement to treaty benefits. See

2

26 C.F.R. § 31.3402(q)-1; see also Pub 515. The U.S. treaty with -----------does, however, allow
the resident to claim wagering losses.

Please let us know if you need any further information.

Respectfully,

-------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------