A casino win/loss statement can support your taxes, but the IRS will not accept it by itself as proof of your gambling losses. It works as corroborating evidence alongside a personal gambling diary and records like tickets, receipts, ATM slips, and bank statements.1Internal Revenue Service. Topic No. 419, Gambling Income and Losses Used that way, it fills gaps in electronically tracked slot and video poker play. Used alone, it usually will not survive an audit.
What a Win/Loss Statement Actually Shows
The statement is an internal report the casino generates from your player rewards card. It typically covers a calendar year and shows the net result of your tracked play, sometimes broken out by month or visit. Casinos produce these documents for loyalty program purposes, not tax compliance, and that difference explains most of the problems people run into.
The biggest limitation is what never makes it onto the report. Table games like blackjack, craps, and roulette are rarely tracked with the same precision as electronic games. Unless you were a rated player whose buy-ins and cash-outs were logged by a pit boss, your table activity may not appear at all. Cash wagers at the sportsbook window often have the same gap.
Slot and video poker play is more reliable because every spin runs through the machine’s software linked to your card. Even so, the statement usually shows a net figure rather than separate wins and losses for each session, which is not how the IRS expects you to report.
Why the IRS Won’t Accept It on Its Own
The IRS wants session-by-session reporting. For electronically tracked slots, a session starts when you place your first wager on a particular type of game and ends when you finish your last wager on that same game type before the calendar day ends.2Internal Revenue Service. Notice 2015-21 – Safe Harbor Method for Determining Wagering Gain or Loss from Slot Machine Play A yearly summary that collapses all your play into one number does not meet that standard.
In Tax Court, taxpayers who arrived with nothing but a casino win/loss statement have consistently struggled to defend their claimed losses. The statement is treated as backup for records you already keep. If your diary and the casino’s numbers roughly agree, the combination is strong. If the statement is your only document, an examiner has good reason to disallow part or all of the deduction.
The practical move is to request a win/loss statement from every casino where you played during the year and keep it in your tax file. Just do not treat it as your record.
What Your Gambling Diary Should Include
The IRS expects a contemporaneous log, meaning you recorded the information around the time of each session rather than reconstructing it at tax time. For each session your diary should capture:3Internal Revenue Service. Publication 529 – Miscellaneous Deductions
- The date and the specific game or wager type
- The name and address of the casino, racetrack, or online platform
- The names of anyone with you at the gambling establishment
- Separate amounts won and lost for that session, not a running net
The IRS also lists secondary records for different game types. For slots, note the machine number and the time you played. For table games, record the table number and any casino credit card data. For keno, keep copies of validated tickets and casino credit records. For racing, save records of each race wagered on along with ticket stubs.3Internal Revenue Service. Publication 529 – Miscellaneous Deductions
Bank statements, withdrawal receipts from casino ATMs, and credit card charges at gambling establishments all help build the picture. None of these alone proves a loss. Layered with your diary and the casino’s win/loss statement, they create documentation that holds up under examination. The people who get into trouble are almost always the ones who try to piece a year of activity together after an audit notice arrives.
How Gambling Losses Actually Get Deducted
Documentation only matters if you can use it, and the deduction rules are stacked with conditions. You can claim gambling losses only if you itemize on Schedule A, and losses can never exceed the gambling winnings you reported for the year.1Internal Revenue Service. Topic No. 419, Gambling Income and Losses Win $8,000 and lose $12,000, and your maximum deduction is $8,000. The extra $4,000 is gone; there is no carryforward.
For tax year 2026, the deduction is further limited to 90% of your gambling losses.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 165 – Losses The 90% rule bites when losses are close to winnings. If you won $10,000 and lost $10,000, you can deduct only $9,000, leaving $1,000 in taxable gambling income you cannot offset.
Itemizing is a hurdle on its own. For 2026, the standard deduction is $16,100 for single filers, $32,200 for married couples filing jointly, and $24,150 for heads of household.5Internal Revenue Service. IRS Releases Tax Inflation Adjustments for Tax Year 2026 If your total itemized deductions, gambling losses included, do not exceed the standard deduction, the loss deduction gives you no tax benefit. Many recreational gamblers land in exactly that position, so it is worth checking before you invest hours in reconstruction.
One more thing to keep straight: you report gross winnings as income on Schedule 1 first. Losses come off separately on Schedule A. Netting the two into a single figure on your return is a common mistake and an easy trigger for scrutiny.
If You Gamble Professionally
If gambling is your trade or business, you report income and expenses on Schedule C instead of splitting between Schedule 1 and Schedule A. You can also deduct ordinary business expenses like travel, lodging, handicapping subscriptions, and accounting fees.
You still cannot report a net loss. Combined wagering losses and related business expenses cannot exceed gambling winnings for the year.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 165 – Losses That limit came in with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act starting in 2018 and has been made permanent. Before then, professional gamblers could sometimes generate a net operating loss that offset other income. That door is closed.
Professional status is not something you elect on the return. The IRS looks at whether you gamble regularly and continuously, whether you depend on the income for your livelihood, and whether you keep business-like records. Occasional players who have a good year will not qualify, and claiming the status without meeting the standard invites attention.
Non-Resident Aliens
If you are not a U.S. citizen or resident, gambling winnings from U.S. sources are generally subject to a flat 30% withholding tax, and you typically cannot deduct gambling losses on a U.S. return.6Internal Revenue Service. Publication 515 – Withholding of Tax on Nonresident Aliens and Foreign Entities3Internal Revenue Service. Publication 529 – Miscellaneous Deductions Residents of about 25 treaty countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, and Spain, are exempt from U.S. tax on gambling income. Malta residents pay a reduced 10% rate under their treaty. If you qualify, give Form W-8BEN to the casino before collecting your winnings to prevent the 30% withholding at the source.