Gambling Tracker Casino win/loss statements
Every January the same search happens: how do I get the piece of paper that says what the casino thinks I lost. Here is how to get it from any operator, what it covers, and the part that catches people out, which is how much it leaves off.
Three ways to request one
The player account online
Every large operator now puts it behind the loyalty account: Club Royale, MGM Rewards, Caesars Rewards, Penn Play, or the Financial Center inside a sportsbook app. This is the fastest route and usually the only one that gives you a PDF the same day.
The players club desk
Smaller and tribal casinos often still do it at the desk, with ID. Some print it while you wait, some mail it. Worth a phone call before you drive there in February.
A written request form
Cruise lines and a number of regional casinos use a form, one per calendar year, with a turnaround measured in weeks rather than minutes. Ask in January, not on 14 April.
Whichever route you take, the statement covers a calendar year and is normally issued after the year closes. Late January is the usual date. Asking in December for the year you are standing in will get you nothing.
By operator
The menus move and the availability dates differ. These are written out step by step.
What it covers, and what it misses
A win/loss statement is a report of carded play. If the operator could not see it, it is not in there, and the gap is usually bigger than people expect.
- ✓ Slot play with the card inserted
- ✓ Table play the pit rated under your card
- ✓ Online play inside that operator's account
- ✕ Cash at a table with no card handed over
- ✕ Machines that do not read the loyalty card
- ✕ Poker in most rooms, including Texas Hold'em
- ✕ Anything at a different casino, or a home game
The line that matters
Royal Caribbean's own page says a win/loss statement is not an official tax document and is not submitted to the IRS, and that it excludes Texas Hold'em and machines that do not read the card. FanDuel says the same about its Player Activity Statement. Get the statement, keep it with the year, and treat it as corroboration for the tracked part of your play. The record the IRS asks for is a diary you kept yourself.
Questions
Is a win/loss statement a tax document?
No, and the operators say so in writing. Royal Caribbean's page states that a win/loss statement is not an official tax document and is not submitted to the IRS. FanDuel calls its version a Player Activity Statement and describes it as a summary of wallet and gameplay activity rather than a tax form. The document that does go to the IRS is the W-2G, which the operator issues when a single win crosses a reporting threshold.
Why does my statement not match what I remember losing?
Almost always because part of your play was not tracked. The statement is built from carded activity, so an evening where you sat down at a table without handing over the card simply does not exist in it. The second common reason is that operators calculate the figure differently, some by session and some by coin-in and coin-out, which produces numbers that are not comparable between two casinos.
Can I get one for a year I have already left?
Usually yes, within a window. Royal Caribbean holds five years. DraftKings typically offers the current and the previous year. Regional casinos vary wildly and some purge after three. This is the argument for keeping your own record: the operator's copy has an expiry date and is entirely outside your control.
Do I need one for every casino I played at?
If you intend to claim losses, yes, one per operator, because each one only knows about its own floor. Players who move between three or four venues in a year end up chasing three or four separate requests with three or four different processes, which is the moment most people decide a single diary of their own would have been easier.
One record, every venue
Chasing four statements from four operators in February is the alternative to writing six fields down when you cash out. Log the next session and the year builds itself.
