Gay Marriage

Quote: SOOPOO

Welcome back. I would be interested in your take on the pandemic. Did you get unemployment monies from the State and/or Feds? Have you found any on line opportunities? Are you volunteering more with your new found free time? Have you gotten a non-AP job to help tide things over? All of those topics would be fine here. Mike just doesn't want "I found this play on this slot machine. What is the EV?"

Ok, after reconsideration, I have decided to give it a shot here. I am still not pleased with the Mike's idea of "probation" and that's what this basically is because I still don't like how my original banning at WoV came about and since that situation has resolved with the party involved no longer there, I don't see why I am not "welcomed" back there. But whatever, maybe I can change Mike's mind on that. It cant be any worse that the hell hole of a forum I have been exiled to.

So thank you for the post above, SOOPOO (and the welcome back). Is this the appropriate thread to answer such questions?

Anyway. I sort of gave up the volunteer work I did for years with 2 different homeless youth groups here in Vegas. In 2017, I had my second heart surgery and 6 months later my partner passed away, and I just got away from it and haven't gone back. Probably should. Probably won't.

My take on the pandemic: It sucks! Who would have thought we would see something like this in this day and age. I visited the strip last week and who would have thought we would EVER see the strip like that. And while they seem to be preparing for Casino re-opening, it isn't going to be the way it was for a very long time, if ever.

After my partner passed away a little more than 2 years ago, I sold my house and bought a high rise condo with my younger brother, who also resides in Vegas and plays blackjack for a living. I think he graduated college and had just relocated to Vegas and was beginning his career when I was last here (or at the other forum). As bad luck would have it, the building I live in had one of the few clusters of Covid infections in Las Vegas, which has relatively low numbers. At last count 8 people have gotten sick to varying degrees including my brother and I. All have recovered, with one gentleman remaining in the hospital but he now seems to be doing better than he was last week. He is the oldest of those in our building that got it and had a harder time.

My brothers illness was pretty mild. He was sick for a little over a week, mostly cold/flu like symptoms. I got sick about 5 days later which was bound to happen since we reside in the same condo and were mostly staying home at the time. My symptoms were just a little worse than his, for the first week, then, I started feeling better for a couple days, and then got even worse. Because I have a pre-existing heart situation which is currently well under control, when I had that second week deterioration, I decided I should call my doctor just to be sure there wasn't anything special I should be doing. That is when I got tested, I was sick for another 2 weeks, 3 weeks total, a couple days pretty bad with chest pain and fever, but I finally really began feeling better about 2 weeks ago. Finally got rid of the fever and chest pain/pressure, still a little lingering very odd fatigue at times.

Last week my brother and I both tested for antibodies just to confirm we were over and all. He tested positive which is what you want, I tested negative. The doctor says I tested too soon, that it takes a couple weeks for antibodies to show and I had only given it 6-7 days. So I will probably test again next week although now they are saying those tests don't mean squat. They are not reliable and don't mean you have any protection, so maybe I just wont bother.

The unemployment has been a fiasco here in Vegas for self employed and gig workers, of which as a professional gambler I am supposed to qualify. I have mixed views on whether we should qualify, but I think I will save this topic for another day. Tomorrow is supposed to be the day Nevada has the system up and running for the gig workers applications, so that might be a good time for an update on that.

I agree your WOV ban was not handled well
I don't even post over at WOV anymore. Gambling just a minor interest for me.
Vegas is changing and will never be the same just as the concert business will never be the same
Thanks for posting about your virus experience. Sounds like it really sucked. I really hope I don't get it
My opinion, professional gambler should not qualify for unemployment. It would be akin to street beggars wanting unemployment

Quote: terapined

My opinion, professional gambler should not qualify for unemployment. It would be akin to street beggars wanting unemployment

Alright, I will go here. In my opinion, when someone decides to be self employed, including gamble for a living they have to take on the responsibility of what happens if they lose that line or work / income, just as they are responsible for vacation/sick day and saving for retirement. These things are part of the "deal'.

BUT, this is an unusual circumstance. Lets say someone is in business for themselves, running a one person newsstand or shop (Are there even newsstands around anymore?) That business probably is not set up to where the person would be eligible for unemployment. So along comes coronavirus and the government, by order of the Governors office says he has to shutdown. he is not shutting down for lack of business or anything he is shutting down because he is ordered by the government. So I do think he is entitled to some kind of help to get through that and this is opposite my usual view on these matters. But he didn't make any decision, the government ordered it.

And as a professional player or gambler, kind of the same thing. The government ordered shutdown of casinos. That is not my choice. And the government recognizes they have to help everyone or you are just going to end up with rioting, looting, hijacking food trucks on their way to the grocery store.

So the Government is "throwing money at everyone. Direct payments. An EXTRA $600 for people who qualify for unemployment the normal way. That is not what they should qualify for based on their employment history, but an EXTRA $600 on top. Huge loans for small businesses. Everyone is getting help. So under these extreme parameters, a professional player, unable to work because the government ordered casinos shut down, is just as entitled to some help as a Taxicab driver, who also wouldn't normally be entitled (self contractors), but is under these extreme conditions.

While I normally would be opposed to these kind of handouts, I see the need in this extreme situation to avoid chaos. PLUS, they keep telling me I am going to be getting unemployment, so I am all for it. :) (there are no emojis here?) It isn't the way I would have handled things, but if they are throwing buckets of money at people, hell yeah, throw some my way.

duplicate post. (Obviously having some trouble adjusting to this format. sorry

Quote: kewlj

Alright, I will go here. In my opinion, when someone decides to be self employed, including gamble for a living they have to take on the responsibility of what happens if they lose that line or work / income, just as they are responsible for vacation/sick day and saving for retirement. These things are part of the "deal'.

BUT, this is an unusual circumstance. Lets say someone is in business for themselves, running a one person newsstand or shop (Are there even newsstands around anymore?) That business probably is not set up to where the person would be eligible for unemployment. So along comes coronavirus and the government, by order of the Governors office says he has to shutdown. he is not shutting down for lack of business or anything he is shutting down because he is ordered by the government. So I do think he is entitled to some kind of help to get through that and this is opposite my usual view on these matters. But he didn't make any decision, the government ordered it.

And as a professional player or gambler, kind of the same thing. The government ordered shutdown of casinos. That is not my choice. And the government recognizes they have to help everyone or you are just going to end up with rioting, looting, hijacking food trucks on their way to the grocery store.

So the Government is "throwing money at everyone. Direct payments. An EXTRA $600 for people who qualify for unemployment the normal way. That is not what they should qualify for based on their employment history, but an EXTRA $600 on top. Huge loans for small businesses. Everyone is getting help. So under these extreme parameters, a professional player, unable to work because the government ordered casinos shut down, is just as entitled to some help as a Taxicab driver, who also wouldn't normally be entitled (self contractors), but is under these extreme conditions.

While I normally would be opposed to these kind of handouts, I see the need in this extreme situation to avoid chaos. PLUS, they keep telling me I am going to be getting unemployment, so I am all for it. :) (there are no emojis here?) It isn't the way I would have handled things, but if they are throwing buckets of money at people, hell yeah, throw some my way.

How do you prove you are an unemployed professional gambler?
How do you prove you are an unemployed street beggar
Do you report your income every year and pay taxes on that income?
The news stand can easily prove they were a business by the sales taxes they collected for the state

Quote: terapined

How do you prove you are an unemployed professional gambler?
How do you prove you are an unemployed street beggar
Do you report your income every year and pay taxes on that income?
The news stand can easily prove they were a business by the sales taxes they collected for the state

There were a non-zero number of casinos, which temporarily became a zero number of casinos. Ergo, unemployed.

I wouldn’t know anything about KewlJ’s tax situation, naturally.

Quote: terapined

How do you prove you are an unemployed professional gambler?
How do you prove you are an unemployed street beggar
Do you report your income every year and pay taxes on that income?
The news stand can easily prove they were a business by the sales taxes they collected for the state

Yes, I pay taxes. You aren't really a professional player unless you are able to pay taxes. These guys that are able to eek out enough money to barely pay their rent, but aren't paying taxes aren't really professional players or gamblers. They are "hustlers" or something.....I don't know.

I actually applied for unemployment at the end of March, when the stimulus first was signed into law, saying gig workers were eligible. On the local news here in Las Vegas they immediately stated that included professional gamblers, so we knew, where as most other places in the country didn't even give that a thought. So I applied March 30, I think, had all my tax info and paperwork ready as I assumed I would need to download info or something, but it wasn't required at the time. I received a debit card several days later and my application was approved without having to show any proof of anything.

But it turned out it wasn't really approved despite that being the classification they put on it. Turns out it was really sort of in limbo because the state just wasn't set up to handle these gig workers /self employed new eligibles Supposedly beginning tomorrow they are now prepared and we are supposed to be able to go back to our account and sign up for all those back weeks. I am assuming but have no idea if they will somehow be requiring documentation like tax returns. They would have to be downloaded since the physical offices are not open. We'll see what happens.

From the story on local news today:

"W-2 or 1099 forms, tax returns, pay stubs, bank receipts, invoices, and billing statements," are the documents Korbulic says you'll need to upload while filing.

Kewlj, as a self employed person what rate do you pay into unemployment? Is it a fixed percentage or a sliding scale? How often do you pay into it? I would assume quarterly but I really don't know.

if you have been declaring income as a professional gambler you ABSOLUTELY are eligible for unemployment assistance during the time the casinos are closed. Glad to hear you have recovered from COVID-19. Please consider being a plasma donor, if your other medical conditions do not prevent you from doing so. Of course you would need a positive test first!
Condolences on the loss of your partner.
Do you ever leave Vegas for your job? I know some of the other APs set up camp anywhere and everywhere when an opportunity pops up.