This was a really bad idea, on so many levels for so many reasons.

1. Your friend accepted a tax liability that was more than the cash he got.

2. Your friend involved himself in a fraud. When the IRS comes to his door, he should say *"I have nothing to say until I consult with a lawyer"*. It may not be the IRS, it may be the FBI or the Department of Treasury. Your friend has laundered money. He should say the same thing to them.

3. Like other places, Las Vegas is full of hustlers, only perhaps more so. If a stranger approaches you here in LV, you just don't even bother to listen to them. I decline to talk to them, I usually use a lot of profanity when declining the offer.

I am a casino employee and have had courses on title 31, which is the government's almost draconian-like measure to stop money laundering. I can tell you that you never want to get involved with trying help someone save a little taxes. You never want to cash chips or any other kind of instrument of betting (sports tickets, keno tickets, slot tickets, etc) out except for your own.

If the ticket was stolen, your friend may have found himself in handcuffs on the day. I don't know how they track most things, but I can tell you at one place I worked, if you found a ticket in a slot machine and tried to cash it out when it was associated via slot card to someone other than you, you were arrested and charged. 

That your friend was hustled by this guy is obvious, for the simple reason that almost all countries participate in an international tax treaty. All you need is a passport to cash out, you do not need a social security number. Even if you're a US citizen, you can cash out without a social security number, but the casino is obligated to withhold thirty percent, that you can reclaim anytime you come up with a social security card. (Although that 30% thing may have changed).

What your friend really needs to do today is go talk to a lawyer. Considering the amount, it is likely this transaction is going to raise red flags somewhere along the lines of government bureaucracy. What is at stake for him is severe, he should prepare for the worst and hope for the best.