Download
- Printable gambling log (PDF, one page, letter, landscape) — ten sessions per sheet, the Publication 529 wording at the top, a totals row.
- Gambling diary workbook (Excel) — the same columns with won/lost computed, totals, a count of winning and losing sessions, and a How to use sheet. Opens in Excel, Numbers, LibreOffice and Google Sheets.
Free, no sign-up, no tracking in the files. Both carry the four items Publication 529 says a diary must contain and the per-game details it names.
The columns, and why each one is there
- Date, start and end. "The date and type of your specific wager or wagering activity." Start and end times tie the entry to the session, which is how the IRS has described slot play since its 2015 proposal of a per-session method.
- Casino / establishment and address. "The name and address or location of the gambling establishment."
- Type of wager and game. Slots, a table game (name it), poker, sports, bingo, keno, lottery, racing. The template lists them.
- Machine or table number. For slots, "a record of the machine number and all winnings by date and time the machine was played"; for table games, "the number of the table at which you were playing."
- Who was with you. "The names of other persons present with you at the gambling establishment."
- Money in, money out, won / lost. "The amount(s) you won or lost." Money in is what you put at risk (buy-ins, ATM withdrawals, markers, cash you brought); money out is what you cashed out or left with. The workbook computes the difference.
- W-2G. Whether you received one for the session, its box 1 (winnings) and box 4 (federal tax withheld). Keep the form with the entry.
- Records kept and notes. Payment slips, ATM receipts, casino statements, a photo of the machine or ticket. "In addition to your diary, you should also have other documentation."
How to use it
- One row per session, written at the time. A sheet filled in at tax time from memory is a reconstruction, not a diary.
- Print a few sheets and keep them with the paper the casino gives you, or keep the workbook on a laptop and the paper in an envelope per tax year.
- Add the win/loss statement from each casino at year end. It supports the diary; it does not replace it.
- Give the sheets or the workbook to your preparer with your W-2Gs.
Or let the phone do it
StampChip is the same diary as an app: the fields above, filled in at the casino, with each check-in stamped with the time and place as it happens, kept on your phone only, and turned into a Preparer Pack (a PDF diary in Publication 529 order and a workbook) at tax time.
StampChip is in private testing on Android; the demo shows the three taps.
More on what the IRS asks for: What the IRS wants in a gambling diary. What changed for 2026: the 90% rule and the $2,000 W-2G threshold.
Sources
- IRS, Publication 529 (12/2020), Miscellaneous Deductions (every quotation above).
- IRS, Notice 2015-21, the proposed per-session safe harbor for slot play (never finalized).