Info for Casino players on Board Ship

[roxievegas]

During our last cruise, I was very lucky and won over $1,800 on a slot machine. Being a U.S citizen, they were required to give me a W-G2 form after giving them my passport and drivers license to prove who i am before they would giv me the money. I will then have to file this form with my federal/state taxes. For those of you that do go to Las Vegas, etc., and play in the casino's and belong to the casino's players club, you receive (or can) a win/loss statement for that year to show whether you are a winner or loser.

 

Celebrity will also give a win/loss statement. It has to be requested after the first of the year by email to the Fortune's Casino. Just thought I would let you know, in case someone else is lucky enough to win a jackpot that has to be reported. - I was a winner, hubby a loser.

[wallie5446]

Anything over $600.00 and you get the pink slip! :D

[NeilMak]

Do they have poker - and if so, what is the level of play?

[roxievegas]

We only play the slots. they have 21 tables. I think I saw a notice for a poker game, but can't say for sure.

[stratixman]

Hmmm. A few years ago my wife won almost $2000 playing bingo and she wasn't provided any federal tax forms. They paid her in cash and that was the end of it.

[chrismakris]

Do they have poker - and if so, what is the level of play?

 

Just got off of Summit and they had a $60 Sit and Go tournament at a computerized table. That's the only poker game I saw go on the whole time I was on the boat. $2500 in starting chips and I think the blinds started at $50/$100. May have even been $100/$200.

[armadillo]

. - I was a winner, hubby a loser.

 

He's not a loser - he has you!!!

[mafig]

~I thought the amount was over $1999.:confused:

[Desertbelle]

In Las Vegas any slot machine win over $1199 gets you a W-2 form....that's over $1199 on one pull/spin/game, not over the course of play. For poker tournaments it's $5000.

 

I find it hard to believe that they would give a W-2 form on a ship in international waters. Sounds very strange to me.

 

As for your taxes...we always claim losses equal to our winnings and we have never had any issues. Being a poker player I keep all my tournament entry receipts....they don't keep track of cash play.

[NeilMak]

Just got off of Summit and they had a $60 Sit and Go tournament at a computerized table. That's the only poker game I saw go on the whole time I was on the boat. $2500 in starting chips and I think the blinds started at $50/$100. May have even been $100/$200.

 

Computerized? Yuck!

[mafig]

~I thought the amount was over $1999.:confused:

 

Desertbelle gave the correct amount (or the amount I always thought was what you could win without having a form). $1199 (not 1999).

[roxievegas]

You are right, my hubby is a winner, because he can share the winnings. The winnings are $1200 or more, and since the machine will not give you a ticket if the total winnings are over that amount. The screen will flash - "see attendant". The W-2G statement that they gave me will be offset by the win/loss statement that supposedly I can get after the first of the year.

[kitty9]

This must be a very new policy because in 10 years cruising on Celebrity, the most recent in Feb, they've never provided a W2-G form for gambling winnings over the threshold of $1199. My friend had a pretty large win on Equinox, on the dollar poker machine, and didn't get the form. When my mom won numerous jackpots over the years, she never got a form either.

[khalubear]

We are Canadian and my wife won 1700 in 2010 on celebrity and 1300 in 2011 and was paid cash.. Of course no winnings since as we are not avid gamblers and just lucked out. We were paid cash. Being Canadian not sure if the rules have changed since it would be winnings outside of Canada. but if they can find a way to tax it they will.

[chrismakris]

Computerized? Yuck!

 

 

Agreed. They asked me if I wanted to play as there was one more seat but I politely refused.

[dkjretired]

I played in Vegas many times and always received the dreaded form at $1200 many times, same thing in AC, Biloxi, Tampa, Pa. and New Orleans. Wife and son won on Celebrity and did not receive the form.

Edited November 2, 2015 by dkjretired

[AmazedByCruising]

Just got off of Summit and they had a $60 Sit and Go tournament at a computerized table. That's the only poker game I saw go on the whole time I was on the boat. $2500 in starting chips and I think the blinds started at $50/$100. May have even been $100/$200.

 

Silhouette offered a $60 tournament as well, at 11:30 and 3 PM at seadays with an actual dealer, but it had high blinds going up very fast as well. The blinds didn't turn out to be a big problem. Both times the very first hand I played I was all-in pre-flop with KK, to be beaten by AA first and some rubbish the other time.

 

There were just one table, once it was full. On such a huge ship I expected more people to be interested, and more tables available.

[TN Vol Fan]

This is a new rule. I can remember my DH winning $7500 at the Let It Ride table and they just handed him the cash with an envelope- no forms or taxes to worry about.

Won a $1300 jackpot on Infinity the beginning of this Oct. and had to get the W-G form. It was posted at the cage for any jackpot/hand pay over $1200. My main problem is you have to itemize your deductions before you can balance your winnings out against your losses. Since we don't, I have to claim the jackpot as winnings without using my win/loss statement.

[WALKER1313]

US residents might want to speak to their tax adviser before using the wins/losses statement for evidence of their losses from gambling. If they don't know why this statement might not be good for you, then you need a new adviser.:rolleyes:

[Paulras]

This is a new rule. I can remember my DH winning $7500 at the Let It Ride table and they just handed him the cash with an envelope- no forms or taxes to worry about.

Won a $1300 jackpot on Infinity the beginning of this Oct. and had to get the W-G form. It was posted at the cage for any jackpot/hand pay over $1200. My main problem is you have to itemize your deductions before you can balance your winnings out against your losses. Since we don't, I have to claim the jackpot as winnings without using my win/loss statement.

 

Not a new rule, but has been slightly changed over the years. Note that Let It Ride is a table game. The rule (which is pretty old) is a win on one individual spin/pull on a slot that's $1200 or higher. Even if you win a huge bet on a table game that's tens of thousands of dollars, it still doesn't trigger the reporting process. And if you accumulate more than $1200 from several slot pulls, that also doesn't count - it must be ONE bet on the slot that wins at least $1200.

 

One thing that might be an exception is the bonus on a table game like Caribbean stud where you bet $1 and could win a huge jackpot (thousands). If I'm not mistaken, that is also considered to be like a slot win of more than $1200 and you'd get a form.

 

Kitty9 - when you say your friend and mom won in the past, was that a win of more than $1200 on just one slot/video poker bet? Or was it just an accumulation of wins that totaled more than $1200. Again, the tax reporting is only triggered on one bet winning that much. And it's been the rule for many years now.

 

Walker - agree on seeking tax advice. The IRS says win/loss statements aren't proof of a loss to offset your wins. But they do say you should create a journal; which is silly in my opinion since a handwritten journal isn't really verifiable. In actuality, the IRS isn't going to question or audit you because you're writing off gambling losses of only $1800. They know gambling is a net losing game. Now if you have tens of thousands of wins and you write off losses of that amount, you better have some reasonable proof.

[alexspepa]

Agreed. They asked me if I wanted to play as there was one more seat but I politely refused.

 

I respectfully disagree...electronic tables on cruise ships have been a gold mine for me. For some reason live dealers scare off beginners more than computer screens; play abc poker in cash games and be very aggresive in tournaments. Accept the inevitable bad beat you get everywhere, including live dealer games and you will come out ok...just don't try to bluff. And be nice...always be nice and tell everyone how well they are playing.

 

Actually that is how you should always play no matter where - be nice. It usually pays off and you feel better about yourself.

[Desertbelle]

The electronic poker tables aren't all that bad. They are better than 21 dealers trying to be poker dealers on a 21 table with 7 people. And the machines calculate the rake down to the penny, which helps a little when the rake is so high on ships (10% up to $10!!) The learning curve takes about 5 minutes. Most cruises we have had a solid group of 10-20 players each night, but the games seldom get started before 10 PM. Generally the games are small limits, almost always 1-2 no limit.

 

The tournaments are turbos, and don't take long. I've won a few, because the play is fairly soft.

[dkjretired]

Not a new rule, but has been slightly changed over the years. Note that Let It Ride is a table game. The rule (which is pretty old) is a win on one individual spin/pull on a slot that's $1200 or higher. Even if you win a huge bet on a table game that's tens of thousands of dollars, it still doesn't trigger the reporting process. And if you accumulate more than $1200 from several slot pulls, that also doesn't count - it must be ONE bet on the slot that wins at least $1200.

 

One thing that might be an exception is the bonus on a table game like Caribbean stud where you bet $1 and could win a huge jackpot (thousands). If I'm not mistaken, that is also considered to be like a slot win of more than $1200 and you'd get a form.

 

Kitty9 - when you say your friend and mom won in the past, was that a win of more than $1200 on just one slot/video poker bet? Or was it just an accumulation of wins that totaled more than $1200. Again, the tax reporting is only triggered on one bet winning that much. And it's been the rule for many years now.

 

Walker - agree on seeking tax advice. The IRS says win/loss statements aren't proof of a loss to offset your wins. But they do say you should create a journal; which is silly in my opinion since a handwritten journal isn't really verifiable. In actuality, the IRS isn't going to question or audit you because you're writing off gambling losses of only $1800. They know gambling is a net losing game. Now if you have tens of thousands of wins and you write off losses of that amount, you better have some reasonable proof.

 

In the case of my wife and son it was one pull and they just gave them the money. Another interesting thing was we were doing a slot pull with other people ane 1 man hit for 1800 on his turn, nothing was done.

 

Should also be pointed out that if you are playing a slot and hit a bonus round, the play during the bonus round is considered one pull along with the original pull that precipitated the bonus round.

Edited November 3, 2015 by dkjretired

[kitty9]

 

Kitty9 - when you say your friend and mom won in the past, was that a win of more than $1200 on just one slot/video poker bet? Or was it just an accumulation of wins that totaled more than $1200. Again, the tax reporting is only triggered on one bet winning that much. And it's been the rule for many years.

 

My friend won $4000 with a Royal Flush on a dollar slot----a one bet win. My Mom won many jackpots, which is what it is called on a one spin win, when she played her $5 slots. Never got the W2-G. BTW, some cumulative winnings do count towards getting a W2-G, when someone is playing a slot machine that has a double down factor as part of a single, original bet. But, if someone is playing on credits, and their winnings accumulate to above the $1200 threshold, that is not taxable, as its part of multiple bets, and not a solo jackpot.