Moving to Play Poker in Mexico – FAQ
Q&A with an American expat who moved to Mexico to
play online poker after Black Friday – focusing on two popular destinations for poker
players, Playa Del Carmen (above) & Rosarito.
Online Poker in Mexico
– Why move to
Mexico?
Well you will have obviously access to sites like PokerStars that are currently
blocked in the US. There’s also the low cost of living compared to the States,
delicious Mexican food, and of course, lots of beautiful Latinas!
Probably one of the
top spots to play poker abroad, similar to Thailand in some respects but closer to
home.
– Is online poker legal in Mexico?
It’s currently legal – for how long is yet to
be determined. The Mexican government passed a regulatory gambling bill last year,
which is expected to pass by the end of this year.
PokerRefugees have helped over 500
poker players to move abroad.
Unfortunately, the language of the bill is rather
ambiguous, so it’s hard to say what this means for the future of players in Mexico. It
does appear that once the law takes effect, all online poker played in Mexico will have
to run through Mexican-based servers. It’s unclear whether that will result in
segregated player pools.
It’s important to note that the law can’t be enforced until
June 2024 at the earliest. Nobody knows exactly what’s going to happen after that, so
players will need to stay updated on the latest news.
– Any problems accessing poker
sites in Mexico?
Most of the main poker sites are accessible. Paddy Poker has been
blocked off from Mexico for a while, but players can still play on the other iPoker
skins.
Bovada has stopped accepting new Mexican accounts, and they will eventually lock
your account if you play there. Everything else is open.
– How do you deposit onto /
cash out from poker sites in Mexico?
There are several ways to deposit, but setting up
a Mexican bank account is the best option if you’re planning on staying a while.
Most
people have had good experiences with Santander, where you can open an account in
either pesos or USD.
For cashouts from PokerStars, the best option is to cash out to
Skrill, and then from Skrill to a Santander peso bank account.
There is a 300-350 peso
fee that doesn’t change significantly based on the amount withdrawn.
– Best times to
grind in Mexico?
It mostly depends on what games / sites you like to play on, but if
you play across several sites there’s always action somewhere.
Mexico shares time zones
with the US; Rosarito and Playa Del Carmen are in Pacific and Central time
respectively.
– Are there taxes on poker winnings in Mexico?
If you’re a US resident
and spend at least 330 out of 365 days outside of the country, you qualify for the
Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (FEIE) from US taxes.
You will still be responsible for
paying taxes to the Mexican government. In practice, many people do not pay their taxes
in Mexico, but ultimately it’s a decision you have to make for yourself.
Internet &
Banking
– How is internet speed in Mexico?
It can vary depending on where you’re
staying and how your building and unit are wired.
It’s best to find a good realtor who
will go around and speedtest different places for you before coming down.
Expect to pay
aboutR$40/month for 10 Mbps, andR$75/month for 15-20 Mbps.
It’s important to make sure
your connection has a Mexican IP address, and an aircard is highly recommended as well.
Telnor is probably the best company to work with.
– Options for mobile internet in
Mexico?
Telcel is the main mobile provider. If you only use it for texting and poker,
it will probably cost aroundR$10/month to recharge it; SIM cards cost around the
same.
PokerRefugees video on moving to Mexico for online poker
– Any advice on opening
a Mexican bank account / banking in general?
Santander is the best Mexican branch to
work with. You will need a passport and utility bill in your name to open an account,
and there’s aR$1,000 USD minimum deposit. Wires from Stars to the bank account charge a
5% fee.
Western Union is available at all Banamex banks.
Moving to Mexico
– What to say
to border agents if you’re moving for poker? Be honest?
Poker is legal in Mexico, so
you shouldn’t have any problems if you’re honest.
That said, it might make your life
simpler to just give them your most recent occupation (other than poker), especially
with gambling regulation being in a state of flux there. Similar advice as with
entering Canada.
– What’s needed to enter Mexico?
Just a passport for those coming from
the US.
Stays of less than 72 hours in the “border zone” (area within 20-30 km of the
border) used to be possible without a passport, but that has changed recently.
Poker in
Playa Del Carmen
Portal Maya, Playa Del Carmen
– How would you rate the quality of life
in Playa Del Carmen, things to do, safety etc.?
It’s common to see people concerned
about safety when traveling anywhere in Mexico comes up, but Playa Del Carmen is
actually quite safe and insulated from most of the drug gang activity people tend to
worry about.
There’s lots of cool stuff to do – there’s great diving and snorkeling,
especially in the Cenotes. It’s also easy to take a ferry over to Cozumel and go drift
diving.
There’s plenty of great shopping, eating, drinking, etc. on 5th Avenue. In
general, there’s lots of fun tourist-oriented things to do everywhere. Also a very
walkable city.
Nightlife there is somewhat seasonal, with peak times being roughly
November – February. Some people love the nightlife, others aren’t so crazy about it.
There’s a lot of EDM clubs which can be fun, but also loud and crowded.
Lots of
attractive girls, some may seem a bit superficial, but it depends on what you go for.
–
What’s the cost of living in Playa Del Carmen?
Cost of living varies a lot depending on
what you want. You can get by onR$1,000 USD/month, but getting a nice furnished place
in a prime area and enjoying the nightlife regularly can easily quadruple that.
The
cost of electricity is kind of a unique issue here that needs to be explained.
Basically, electricity in the cheapest places is partially subsidized by the higher-end
rental areas.
That means that if you stay in a very nice condo forR$2,500/month, and
you leave the A/C on all the time, you can end up with aR$700+ electric bill.
Diving in
Cenotes in Mexico
– Any advice for rentals in Playa Del Carmen?
5th Avenue is sort of
the central hub for nightlife activity, and a good place to look for rentals. Sometimes
places will pop up there with great-looking prices, but the reason ends up being that
it’s near a noisy club with music throbbing all night.
So if you want a place that’s
close to the action, make sure to do your due diligence.
– How are the options for live
poker in Playa Del Carmen?
There’s not a whole lot to choose from, but there’s
typically at least one 10/20 peso (roughly .5/1 USD) full ring game running at the
local casino next to the Wal-Mart.
Basically low-stakes, high-rake options where it’s
difficult to make any real money.
– How large is the poker community in Playa Del
Carmen?
It’s pretty big; you won’t have much trouble finding other poker players to
chill and hang with if you want.
In the 2+2 Playa Del Carmen thread, you can give same
basic info about yourself and request to be added to the Skype group if you want; they
have regular soccer matches and other activities.
Poker in Rosarito
Rosarito Beach
–
What’s life like out in Rosarito?
Rosarito is a small, laid back beach town that
appeals to poker expats for a few reasons. It’s only a 1-hour drive from San Diego, and
it’s more affordable than most other locations in Mexico.
It’s ideal for anyone who
wants access to PokerStars and other US-blocked sites, while still remaining a short
drive/flight from the US.
– What would someone’s living costs out in Rosarito
be?
Someone can live here on a budget as low asR$400-500/month if they want. You can
live very comfortably forR$2,000/month.
For something in-between, the costs might look
something like:R$500/month rent,R$80/month internet,R$150/month utilities,R$100/month
taxis,R$300/month food. Of course, everyone is different with their personal
preferences and so on. (note: all these prices are in USD).
– Tips for finding a place
to stay in Rosarito?
A lot of players use Baja123 ( http://baja123/) if they want to
secure a place before coming down, although it’s perfectly feasible to just come down
first and start looking.
If you come down first you can probably shave 5-10% off your
rent price, but for a lot of people it’s easier to just use a realtor instead of going
through the hassle to saveR$50/month.
Fresh tacos in Rosarito
– Much live poker in
Rosarito?
There’s some live poker in Tijuana, which is about a 30-minute drive from
Rosarito.
Caliente Casino has a 15/30 peso game that runs most of the time, a 25/50
peso (1,000 buy-in minimum) game that runs on busier nights, and once in a while a
50/100 peso game.
– Lastly, how about the poker community in Rosarito?
There’s a pretty
solid online poker community in Rosarito due to its price and close proximity to the
US.
Although Rosarito is rather small (pop. 60,000) and not particularly known for its
nightlife, a lot of players enjoy the combination of calm scenic ocean views, with
occasional partying.
It’s also a short ride over to Tijuana, where there’s plenty of
debauchery.
– Anything else you’d like to mention in general on relocating to Mexico
for poker?
Playa Del Carmen is a more upscale place, while Rosarito offers more
affordable budget-midrange accommodations. Rosarito’s location makes it very convenient
for anyone who wants to visit the US on a regular basis, and its cost of living puts it
within the range of lower stakes grinders. It also has some of the best food you’ll
find anywhere in Mexico.
Playa Del Carmen offers higher-end living for those with money
to spend, and a bit more diverse range of activities, both for nightlife and the
outdoors. Neither really has a lot going for live poker, although Rosarito probably has
the edge here.
The key thing is how the gambling regulation reforms develop there. As
of now, both locations are great for live poker, and will be until at least June of
2024. After that, it depends on how long it takes the government to start enforcing
regulations, and how they go about doing that.
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