Why tracking matters (taxes, budgeting, compliance)
Gambling winnings are generally taxable in many countries. In the U.S., the IRS says gambling winnings are fully taxable and must be reported on your return, and you’re expected to keep accurate records of wins and losses if you want to deduct losses up to the amount of winnings. Keeping a detailed ledger (plus receipts, tickets, and statements) is essential.
Crypto adds a second layer: digital-asset transactions are also reportable. The IRS requires taxpayers to answer the digital-assets question and report all related income, including crypto used with casinos.
In the U.K., licensed operators must give customers access to their historic account activity, which you can use to reconcile your records.
What counts as “winnings” and what to save
For your records, capture each event, not just the net at withdrawal:
- Deposits to a casino wallet
- Individual wager outcomes (losses and wins) where visible
- Bonuses and rakeback
- Withdrawals back to your wallet
- Fees and network costs
For U.S. taxpayers, keep a diary with date, type of wager, establishment, and amount won or lost, plus supporting documents (tickets, statements). Publication 529 details the kinds of proof to keep; Topic 419 reiterates diary and documentation requirements.
On-chain tracking: explorers, CSV exports, and labeling
If your deposits/withdrawals hit public blockchains, explorers are your best friends.
- Ethereum and EVM chains
Use Etherscan (and chain variants like PolygonScan/BaseScan) to export CSVs of address activity. On Etherscan, search your address, then use the “Download CSV Export” option; PolygonScan/BaseScan provide similar CSV export on address pages.
Pro tip: Create a free Etherscan account and add Private Name Tags, Txn Private Notes, and Watch Lists to label casino deposit/withdraw addresses and get alerts. This makes reconciliation much faster later.
- Bitcoin
mempool.space shows confirmed/unconfirmed transactions and fees; you can use it to look up and copy details for your CSV or accounting tool. (Some wallets and third-party tools provide CSV exports if the explorer doesn’t.) - Solana
Solscan supports exporting CSVs from your wallet’s Transfers tab (and other tabs); official docs and wallet help centers show the steps. Be aware of export limits (e.g., 1,000 rows per export) and filter by date to slice large histories. - Wallet apps
Many wallets let you export a CSV directly (e.g., Ledger Live, Exodus), which you can match to explorer data.
Label everything consistently: mark transaction hashes, counterparty addresses (casino, payment processor, bridge), network fees, and a category such as Deposit, Withdrawal, Win, Loss, Bonus, Fee.
App-based tracking: tax & portfolio tools
Crypto tax and portfolio apps can ingest your on-chain data and help categorize it:
- Koinly: Import deposits/withdrawals and tag wins/losses as realized profit/loss for accurate reports. Also supports custom tags to tweak tax behavior.
- CoinTracker: Lets you bulk-change categories and computes tax by transaction type; helpful when classifying casino-related inflows as “Other income” where applicable.
- Rotki (open-source, local-first): Privacy-focused portfolio and accounting that keeps data on your machine and tracks multiple chains.
- Solana helpers: Solscan CSV export and third-party tools like Stake.Tax can produce import-ready CSVs for many tax platforms (handy for high-activity wallets).
Whichever tool you choose, reconcile: deposits out of your wallet should match deposits into the casino; withdrawals back should match on-chain inflows.
Getting statements from casinos
If you use a licensed operator, download your account activity regularly. In Great Britain, the Remote Technical Standards require easy access to at least three months of account and gambling history (with 12 months available on request). Use those statements to confirm session net results and cross-check your on-chain ledger.
Building a clean ledger (template included)
Aim for a single master spreadsheet that you (or your tax app) can reference.
Recommended columns:
date_time_utc, chain, asset, amount, tx_hash, from_address, to_address,
gas_fee_asset, gas_fee_amount, fiat_rate, fiat_value, counterparty,
category (deposit/withdraw/win/loss/bonus/fee), casino_name, notes
Workflow tips:
- Use one wallet dedicated to casino activity to segregate flows.
- After every session, label new on-chain transactions in the explorer and add private notes.
- Export monthly CSVs (explorer + wallet + casino statement) and archive them together.
- For Solana power users, break exports by month to stay under CSV row caps.
Regional notes: U.S. and U.K. (2025)
United States
- Gambling winnings are taxable and must be reported; losses are deductible only up to the amount of winnings and require detailed records.
- You must answer the digital-asset question and report related income.
- Certain payouts may trigger Form W-2G; meanwhile, new broker reporting on digital assets via Form 1099-DA begins for transactions on or after January 1, 2025 (with transition relief on penalties during 2025). Crypto casinos may or may not be “brokers,” but 1099-DA is relevant to general digital-asset sales reporting. Keep thorough records regardless.
United Kingdom
- Licensed operators must provide access to account activity so you can view what you bet, spent, and when—use this to reconcile wins/losses and session net positions.
- The UK is implementing the OECD Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF) from January 1, 2026, requiring U.K. reporting cryptoasset service providers to collect and report user transaction data; expect more cross-jurisdiction visibility.
Important: Tax treatment varies by country. Always check local rules or speak to a qualified professional.
Security, privacy, and responsible gambling resources
- Consider privacy-respecting accounting (e.g., local-first Rotki) if you’re concerned about sharing transaction history with third parties.
- If gambling stops being fun, free support exists: in the U.S., call the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-GAMBLER; in Great Britain, see GAMSTOP (online self-exclusion) and GambleAware/GamCare for counseling and tools.
FAQs
Do I just report the net when I cash out?
In the U.S., you report gambling winnings as income and can only deduct losses up to the amount of winnings—keep separate records of both, not just the net.
How do I prove a crypto “win” if the casino is off-chain?
Use the casino statement (if available) plus your on-chain deposit and withdrawal records. Add explorer notes and a diary entry linking session dates, amounts, and counterparties. U.K. licensees must provide account history access; elsewhere, take periodic screenshots or exports.
Which app should I use?
Pick the one that fits your workflow: Koinly and CoinTracker for tagging and tax reports; Rotki for privacy/local storage; Solscan + Stake.Tax for Solana-heavy activity. Always reconcile against explorer CSVs.
