Spanish Tax Authority Hunting Down Poker Pros

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  • Four years after Barcelona EPT win, German poker pro hit with €235,000 tax bill by the Spanish authorities
  • The tax amounted to 33%
  • German and French poker players seem to be singled out here

Poker pros are worried after the Spanish tax authorities have hit German pro Hossein Ensan with a  €235,000 tax bill four years after his EPT Barcelona win.

Former number one ranked online poker player in the world, Patrick Leonard tweeted out this weekend upon learning of the news:

Spain taxing people winning money in Barca AND backdating last 10 years?! Scary

He added:

Taxing 33% of winnings from 2014 that we’re already taxed and lots of people spent / invested / gambled / lost? Seems like huge shit show!

Leanard says he is only familiar with cases involving poker players from Germany and France.

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German poker site PokerFirma.com reports that “The Spanish tax authorities have opened the hunt for German poker players and demand horrendous taxes on poker winnings in Spanish casinos”.

From PokerTube.com:

Following Ensan’s €652,667 payday for the final 3 deal at the 2014 Barcelona EPT ME, ‘Back in Germany, he talked to the tax office there and clarified everything.’

Fast forward several years, however, and “last year a letter from Spain arrived at the German authorities. German finance is to collect from Hossein the Spanish taxes and now it gets really serious”…

Ensan’s delayed tax bill amounts to around €235,000 which includes interest, with legal fees also to be taken into consideration, Pokerfirma stating that “Ensan has hired a tax expert in Spain as well” to help fight his corner, and claims that he is not alone among Germans being chased for Spanish taxes…

This may not just be limited to German and French players, however.

Leonard advised one of his followers when asked what other nation's players might be targetted by the Spain tax authorities.

Everybody. If your country taxes you you pay to both (as far as I can see) some Germans being backdated for previous winnings.

- Ace King, Gambling911.com

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