Since my SS card was issued over 50 years ago, I haven't seen it in many years. The only time I recall having to come up with the card was when I was working for GE and needed a security clearance for the job. The casinos are happy with you just giving them the number.

A couple of other comments:

I've tried to get casinos to withhold tax from my slot winnings in several cases because withheld funds are treated as spread over the entire tax year. May save you some penalties if you hit a big one near the end of the year. Only one agreed to do so, and would not do it when I asked again a few weeks later. Their systems are just not set up to do it, and it seems to be a real hassle. The law says they have to if you ask, but I've never pushed it.

Another thing to consider is that your tax losses can't be carried either forward or backward to offset winning years. If you have a good year, you pay the tax on your net win. If next year is a losing year, it's tough, but you get no tax benefit from that year's loss.