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The Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation unit has been cracking down on illegal sports gambling, even as the legal sports betting industry explodes in popularity.Every fiscal year, IRS-CI opens over 30 illegal gambling cases, scoring a 92% conviction rate for prosecuted cases. Over the past five fiscal years, 96 defendants have been convicted of crimes tied to illegal gambling, getting jail sentences averaging between five and 33 months in federal prison.In February, 10 men pleaded guilty to managing a multimillion-dollar sport betting operation named Red44 that ran online bookmaking and betting activities through an offshore server in Costa Rica. Their…

Hourly earnings growth for small business employees last month fell to 2.58%, the lowest level since December 2020, while job growth remained basically flat, according to payroll company Paychex.The Paychex Small Business Employment Watch for August, based on payrolls from 350,000 companies with fewer than 50 employees, indicated the national Small Business Jobs Index for August 2025 was 99.83, nearly as much as the 99.89 set in August 2024. While the gains were moderate, the national jobs index has reported consecutive month-over-month gains for the first time since June 2023.”There’s been very little dynamism in the whole index lately,” said…

The Treasury Department’s list of 68 jobs that are eligible for tax exemptions on tips has leaked to the media and includes occupations ranging from bartenders and food servers to entertainers, performers and digital content creators.The proposed list, as first reported by Axios, includes:1. Beverage & food serviceBartendersWait staffFood servers, non-restaurantDining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpersChefs and cooksFood preparation workersFast Food and Counter WorkersDishwashersHost staff, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shopBakers2. Entertainment and eventsGambling dealersGambling change persons and booth cashiersGambling cage workersGambling and sports book writers and runnersDancersMusicians and singersDisc jockeys (except radio)Entertainers and performersDigital content creatorsUshers, lobby attendants…

An Airbus A321 is being assembled in the final assembly line hangar at the Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility in Mobile, Alabama.Michael Spooneybarger | ReutersAircraft leasing firm Air Lease, founded by industry mogul Steven Udvar-Házy, agreed to sell itself in a deal that would take it private to a group of investors for $7.4 billion, ushering in more consolidation in the airplane-renting business.The planned acquisition, announced Tuesday, was led by Japan’s Sumitomo and SMBC Aviation Capital, and also includes asset managers Apollo and Brookfield. Shareholders in Los Angeles-based Air Lease would receive $65 per share, a nearly 8% premium to Friday’s…

Approximately 10,000 employers never paid the Social Security taxes they have deferred ever since the pandemic, according to a new report.The report, from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, examined an option offered by the Trump administration in 2020 allowing employers to defer the employee portion of Social Security taxes between Sept. 1 and Dec. 31, 2020 as a form of pandemic relief. The report found that over 1 million employers opted to use the payroll tax deferment, and most paid it as required. However, approximately $2 billion in unpaid deferrals remain (as of July 2024). The CARES Act enabled…

Starbucks’ new protein-packed beveragesSource: StarbucksStarbucks plans to tap into consumers’ protein obsession by launching protein-packed cold foam and lattes starting Sept. 29.From “gym bros” to users of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, many Americans are trying to consume more protein, with the goal of building or maintaining their muscle mass and feeling more satiated after meals. Roughly a third of U.S. consumers said they loved high protein in the second quarter of 2025, up from 24% three years ago, according to Datassential, which tracks restaurant menus and consumer preferences.Customers who add Starbucks’ protein cold foam to their grande beverages can expect…