Originally Posted by jdog View Post
Casino records are not valid for taxation purposes. Just look at any win/loss statement.
Yes, but I'm not sure that goes both ways. Rules that apply to you may not apply to the government (according to the government).

I'm speculating though. I haven't found a cite. As an aside though, I stumbled across a couple of possible helpful hints.

Respondent urges that records maintained by DD and Horseshoe, the two casinos at which petitioner gambled the least, see supra pp. 6-7, show that he had net gambling winnings for 2014. But these records were incomplete: The casinos kept track only of jackpots of $1,200 or more and other transactions where petitioner was using his rewards card. Petitioner credibly testified that he often did not use these cards, either because he forgot or because he believed not using the cards could change his luck. The casinos' records were thus biased, being more likely to show wins than losses.
If you're pinned down in a dispute, just say you only used your card sometimes.

In a summary opinion, the Tax Court ruled that a woman who operated a trucking business by day and played casino slot machines by night was a professional gambler, allowing her to deduct $1.4 million in gambling losses as a business expense rather than as a miscellaneous itemized deduction. A key factor the court found in her favor was that although she usually gambled into the early morning hours and sometimes all night, she took no pleasure in it.
If they challenge your professional status, just say you didn't have fun.