WSOP foreign players gaining an ITIN (tax identification number)?

[chambers]

Hi there, i'm from Australia and went over to vegas for the WSOP this year. I cashed in the main event for $45,402 USD.
Unfortunately, the IRS skimmed 30 percent of this off the top which meant i lost roughly $13K USD( they taxed me on my buy in fee as a total of the winnings!!!!)
Anyway, i've been told that i can get the majority of this money back in january next year, but that i need an ITIN number to do so when applying for the refund through the IRS.
Has anyone had any experience with gaining an ITIN number from outside the USA?
any help would be greatly appreciated- i could come back next year if i get some $$$ back.
Regards,
Chambers.