Question one: Could you please settle a small wager. On any Megabucks jackpot, I contend that the slot manufacturer is responsible for paying when a jackpot is hit. My friend is equally sure that it's the casinos responsibility. Who wins? Question two: Whenever I read about Megabucks being hit, the winner almost always opts for the lump-sum payout. But how much the winner receives is never revealed. Why not? And do you know how much someone might wind up with?

I’m not interested in investing in a single gambling stock. I don’t want to have all my investment eggs in one casino basket. Are there any mutual funds that spread the eggs around into lots of baskets?

I was listening to NPR yesterday and a member of the Center for Gaming Research at UNLV stated that gaming was responsible for only 40% of the revenue in Las Vegas, but didn't go into detail as to what comprised the other 60%. Can you get the statistics on the contributing categories (hotel rooms, shows, restaurants, conventions, etc.)?

In your 10/4/07 QoD, you described how to go about keeping a manual log of gambling results. I have always relied on my yearly win-loss statements generated from my use of players club cards from the various casino companies. Am I making a mistake? Would the IRS reject such documentation as proof of losses?

Now that the Canadian dollar is worth more than the U.S. dollar, what sort of exchange rate are the Las Vegas casinos giving for Canadian dollars?

My broker just told me that the Nevada teacher's union wants to increase the gambling tax by 3%. He said that if it happens, casino stocks will tumble. How likely is this tax to happen? And if it does, will it have as dramatic an impact on my gambling stocks as my broker says?

You mentioned in a previous QoD that we can deduct our gambling losses on our taxes up to the amount we won. So I'd like to know how we can prove our losses.

As a Canadian citizen I understand that any slot win over $1,200 triggers a 1042-S and I've filed a non-resident return three or four times to recover tax money withheld from jackpots. Before my most recent trip, I did some research on the topic and discovered what I thought was the magic form, the W-8BEN. The way I understood it was that if I triggered a 1042-S, all I had to do was hand this form to the payer and they wouldn't take the 30%. When I hit a $4,000 royal, I was pretty excited, for the win and to be able to whip out the magic form. It didn't work! I explained up and down the purpose of the form and was sure it was going to work but the bosses told me, pardon the pun, NO DICE! Eventually, I just had to give it up. I'll get the money back, which will make for a nice windfall in January, but I really thought I had the problem licked. Does anybody know what the actual rules are?

In your answer on 6/20/07, you wrote that on the $2,500 video poker machines, you get a W-2G for a high pair. Are there really $2,500 machines, where you need $12,500 to load it up? And can you explain to me why you'd need tax documentation for a push -- you're not really winning anything, you're just getting your money back.

Sometimes I stand and watch my brother play a table game, Let It Ride for instance. When he leaves the table for one reason or another, I sit down and play for him while he's gone. The dealer doesn't seem to mind when I do this. But if I won a large jackpot while playing, would I be one to get a W-2G or would my brother since it is his money?