US Online Poker Players Head for Canada
More and more US online poker players are finding refuge in Canada in order to keep their careers going.
The trend started after April 15, 2011 ("Black Friday"), when the US government cracked down on a number of online poker sites that accepted US players, and made it illegal for any sites to pay winnings to players in the US. These players are now relocating to Canada where online poker is legal.
For $1,200, a website called Poker Refugees was created specifically for the purpose of helping US poker players relocate to Canada.
"Canada's one of our most popular destinations - in addition to Costa Rica," commented Julie Wilson, who operates the site. "The main reasons are because it's English-speaking and its proximity to the US. It's less of a culture shock for players to cross the border into Canada than say into Mexico, Central America or the Caribbean."
Players Resurrect their Careers in Canada
US online poker players are choosing to settle in and play poker tournaments in Canada, in a most of the country's major cities which include Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto or Whistler, particularly "high rollers".
According to Wilson, "they really don't want to leave the US, but they have to for their careers, which they lost, literally overnight." Some may even go overseas, says Wilson.
Those who move to Windsor tend to be "grinders" who make their living by playing poker online. There are a wide range of types of players who are turning to Canada as a solution - "from those barely scraping by to guys who are multimillionaires in their 20's," said Wilson.
Online Forums Help Players Resettle
However, not all US players who want to move to Canada join the Poker Refugees site, as there are many online poker forums, message boards and free classified websites such as Kijiji also dedicated to helping players.
Eric Beck, a 22 year old professional poker player from Louisville, Ky., used Kijiji, Craigslist and Google Earth to help him find somewhere to stay in Windsor. He is moving there with his girlfriend and plans to stay for six months until the 2013 World Series of Poker. He says he was "really getting into the groove" before his plans were derailed with the changes that took place in the US.
Beck claims he can earn $5,000 to $6,000 each month playing poker online, which prompted his comment that he can do better as a professional poker player in Canada, than working at an average job in the United States.
