What is Form W-2G? The $2,000 threshold and 300x rule

Form W-2G, "Certain Gambling Winnings", is the form a casino, sportsbook, track or lottery files with the IRS when you win $2,000 or more (for sports bets, races and lotteries, the win must also be 300 times the bet). You get a copy. It shows how much you won, when, the type of wager, and any federal or state tax withheld.

It is not a bill. The tax is worked out on your return, where the winnings are added to the rest of your income.

Payers have until January 31 to get your W-2G to you, or the next business day when that's a weekend. For wins paid in 2026, that's February 1, 2027. The payer files its copy with the IRS by March 1, 2027 on paper or March 31, 2027 electronically.

You don't send the W-2G to the IRS yourself. You report the winnings on your return and keep the form with your records. If one hasn't arrived by mid-February, ask the payer for it. The winnings are reportable either way.

For payments made in 2026, the threshold is $2,000 for every game. Before that it was $600 for most wagers, $1,200 for slots and bingo, and $1,500 for keno. From 2027 it rises with inflation.

Game	Form	Threshold	300x test
Sports betting	W-2G	$2,000	Yes
Casino and slots	W-2G	$2,000	No
Table games	None	–	No
Poker tournaments	W-2G	$2,000	No
Lottery	W-2G	$2,000	Yes
Daily fantasy sports	1099-MISC	$2,000	No
Horse racing	W-2G	$2,000	Yes

Two of these rows are less certain than the rest. The IRS has not said in so many words that poker tournaments dropped from $5,000 to $2,000, and no IRS instruction names daily fantasy sports, whose operators use the 1099-MISC by practice.

Sports bets, horse races and lotteries only get a W-2G if the win is at least 300 times the wager as well as over the threshold. The wager is subtracted first.

A $10 parlay that pays $3,510 is a $3,500 win, 350 times the stake: you get a W-2G. A $1,000 bet that wins $2,500 is 2.5 times the stake: no W-2G. Both wins are taxable in full.

Slot machines, keno, bingo and poker tournaments have no 300x test. A $2,000 slot jackpot gets a W-2G however much you fed the machine.

Report the winnings as other income on Schedule 1 of Form 1040, and the withholding with the rest of your federal withholding. Keep the form with your gambling records.

If you shared the win, tell the payer before you're paid. They use Form 5754 to issue a separate W-2G to each person, so each of you pays tax on your own share. The threshold is tested on the whole win before the split.

The form decides whether the payer tells the IRS, not whether you owe. Table game wins, cash poker, small wins and wins that fail the 300x test are all taxable income. You report them yourself.

If you don't give the payer your Social Security number on a reportable win, they withhold 24% as backup withholding, even on slots.