Homeless Poker Players From US Have Hope From Poker Refugees

Written by:
C Costigan
Published on:
Jul/18/2012
Homeless Poker Players From US Have Hope From Poker Refugees

Following last year’s shock exits of PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker from the US market, the vast majority of poker pros have been left with few options in which to play online.  While sites like Americas Cardroom welcome high stakes players by offering such enticements as a $60k Progressive Rake Race (a la “The Beast”), sites still catering to US players operate primarily using a recreational model. 

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The answer:  Move the players.

Move them to exotic locales the likes of Costa Rica, Panama and, well, if you can stand the cold, Gambling911.com’s own stomping grounds of Canada (come visit us and the polar bears in Lloydminster, Alberta if you dare). 

The concept is all courtesy of PokerRefugees.com and we recently sat down with Founder Kristin Wilson to discuss how it’s all working out after approximately one year in business. 

G911:  The concept is a fascinating one but surely it didn't just come up the weeks following Black Friday.  This was way too organized.  Explain how the concept developed and when the first seeds were planted.

KW:  The concept was literally born on Black Friday. I was working in real estate in costa rica for 6 years and was at my office when I heard/saw the news. Unlike the general media and US gaming industry, in CR we had a much more explicit view of how the poker and sportsbook industries were run so while it was a shocking scenario to witness, I was not surprised at all, whatsoever.

Understanding the personality of professional poker players, I knew there was no way they would quit playing poker. I also figured it would take at least a year or so to begin regulating online gambling in the US, so the only viable option would be to leave the country.Having already lived in 4 different countries by myself I knew how hard it would be for them to get relocated alone. I immediately started sending facebook and twitter messages to all the well known poker pros telling them I could help them move. I purchased the Poker Refugees.com domain a couple weeks later. The company finally launched in mid-August in conjunction with PocketFives.com after 3 months of planning and I quit my job in real estate pretty much immediately.

G911:  Someone young and single might jump on the opportunity to relocate in order to play poker online from another country, but what about those with families?  How do you convince people who have deep roots in the US to just pack up all their belongings and move to another country?

KW:  To be honest moving a family is much more complex and sadly very few are able to follow through with the move. We've had about a dozen families inquire but most of them decide not to move usually due to pressure from relatives and grandparents who don't want to see them leave. It's hard to watch bc you know these men really want to continue their careers but usually it never materializes because the wife or her family aren't comfortable. I can move families but it's inherently a much bigger expense for them to make a reality, including private school enrollment etc.

G911:  Explain how Poker Refugees arrived at the selected countries.  What are the visa requirements?  What is the most popular relocation spot to date?  Any other countries under consideration for the future?

KW:  After a lot of research and consideration of various countries I chose Cr, panama and Canada largely for visa requirements, infrastructure, amenities, safety and proximity from the US. Costa Rica and Canada are the most popular and Costa Rica and Panama have the most flexible visa requirements. Next we are adding Mexico for the same reasons and Ecuador for its low cost of living. Then Malta for our first European destination. A lot of work and planning go into setting up the service in each country and we need to hire representatives we can trust to assist our clients if we're not there.  

G911:  It's a great business model right now but surely you are one of the few in the poker community rooting against legalization in the USA, or are you? Is this a viable concept moving forward?  With individual states like Delaware and Nevada legalizing online poker, is there a scenario where Poker Refugees finds itself relocating players to these particular states?  Maybe an excellent short term rental opportunity?

KW: I started this business model knowing that it would likely have a definitive life span and an inverse growth trajectory as regulation becomes more realistic and our core market of clients has already completed the move at least once. So going into it I was prepared that it would only be relevant for a short period of time. However, creating this business stemmed from an "aha moment" for me and I never questioned it. I knew I had to do it and I would be the only person or one of very few people interested in helping poker players in this way. It's been very fulfilling and I feel like I've helped people continue their lives and have fun at the same time so even if it ended tomorrow I'd be content.

I definitely feel regulation needs to happen and it's ironic that the US is one of the few countries in the world that prohibits online gambling. It shouldn't be that way. So I'm definitely for it even if it puts me out of business. I expect it at some point. However, I think the industry in the US will never look the same as it did pre-black Friday and it remains to be seen if the volume will be there on a state by state level for players to justify moving back soon. Before the entire country of 10-15 million recreational and professional players played together with the rest of the world. If the government limits play to the state level and taxes are prohibitive, it may well be fine for recreational players but fail to provide the conditions that pros need to make a living. Only time will tell how it turns out.

My specialty is helping people move out, not in, although I imagine US players won't need help going back. And unless the field is largely open, it won't be worth it for foreign pros to do short term stints playing in the US either when they can play against the rest of the world from home.

G911:  Do you foresee a Zynga or MGM offering the type of online poker model that is "pro friendly" like PokerStars?

KW:  My answer to this is somewhat tied to the question above. The industry is creative and will do all they can to appease the pros. The online regulars drive game volume and inherently the amount of rake the sites make. This far I don't know how they'll do it if regulation is limited by state, but I'd assume they will find a way to make it appealing for pros so they can benefit.

It goes without saying that Pokerstars is the best run site in the world, so if somehow they can remain involved in the American market via acquiring full tilt or some other way, that's probably going to be good for the players. MGM and Zynga are technically new to this industry since it was "illegal" before, but maybe that will bring a new perspective and I'm sure they are paying industry consultants to help them develop products. Should be interesting to see what they come up with.
 

PokerRefugees.com welcomes PLAYERS to contact them from all over the world.  Check Them Out Here

- Chris Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher

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