Moving to Paradise

Quote Originally Posted by MuggsyBogues:

So... I'm about to take off to Thailand. Life is cheap there, weather at least as tolerable as in Europe (or rather, part of Europe I'm able to currently afford to live in) and, as my main income comes from translating and creative advertising, I'm lucky to never have to 'be at the office' - except at my Internet-connected laptop.

I'm in the research stage now. Reading blogs, making connections. Unfortunately, I haven't found anyone yet who gambles a lot and can confirm how to go about making online wagers/playing poker from within Thailand.

The only piece of news which is confirmed is, disturbingly, that Betfair refuses login attempts from within the country.

So my question to anyone who visited Thailand no later than 2012 or better yet lives there fulltime, is this:

Is this country strictly against gambling? Do their laws cover Thai citizens or is online betting outlawed for expats as well? Of course, if it's as bad as I fear it is, I would love to get some feedback on how to overcome the government-imposed barriers and continue to wager at Pinnacle with an occasional Pokerstars tournament to spice up a slow week in the Paradise.

Thanks a lot for all your comments; I hope this thread will put my mind at ease and make moving a no-brainer. According to the numbers I've run, I should spend much less living in Thailand - and that's great for my bankroll

From what I understand, gambling is against the law in Thailand, but largely uninforced. 

I would highly suggest doing searches of poker players in Thailand.  There is just so much more out there for poker than sports.  Here are some good starts....

https://www.pokerlistings.com/thailand-heaven-on-earth-for-u-s-online-grinder-westmorland-82617

https://www.pokerplayer.co.uk/news/features/8517/the_thriving_thailand_poker_scene.html

https://pokerexpats.com/destinations/thailand/

"

Now, the first thing you should know about playing in Thailand is the all forms of gambling including online poker are ILLEGAL in Thailand. Now, having said that, you should also know that EVERYONE gambles in Thailand and there are underground casinos everywhere. But you should always keep in mind that online poker is illegal and as a result there are two pieces of advice for those who want to live in Thailand and play poker:

• Don’t ever talk about playing poker for a living.
• Don’t ever talk about playing poker for a living.

Keep a low profile. Don’t talk about what you do. Don’t live too lavishly and draw attention to yourself, and if people ask, tell them that you design websites for a living or get a job teaching English so you appear to have a source of legitimate income. If a poker player gets jammed up in Thailand it’s because someone ratted him out to the cops, someone like that girl you’ve been dating and now she’s your EX and she wants revenge, or some foreigner you got in a beef with uses your online work at home job to get you in hot water. There are tons of Poker players living in Thailand so you won’t be alone just use common sense and you will be fine."

Obtaining a foreign gambling presence is different in every case.  Once you move, the first thing you should do is immediately start getting some utility bills with your address on them - ASAP.  Surprisingly, proof of residence is the one thing that trips most people up.  The second thing you should do is obtain a govt issued ID as soon as possible - like a drivers license.

After these 2 things are in your hands, getting a bank account will be much easier.  After you have the bank acct, govt issued ID, and proof of residence - you can get an online wallet like Neteller or Skrill.  Skrill verifies you in an interesting way - they mail you a letter with a code and you just enter it online (mail - as in postal mail).  And once you have Skrill - you can move money anywhere.

Once you have bank acct and skrill, you can open accounts at sportsbooks.  Most SB at some point will also ask for proof of residence, so if a SB doesn't take Thailand - I would suggest just moving on to another.  You could set up a VPN and provide a foreign address (maybe from a mail forwarder), but that is a lot of work and risk of getting caught and your acct could be confiscated.

Most importantly - REPORT BACK TO US ABOUT EVERYTHING YOU LEARN AND HOW YOU LIKE IT!!

Good luck Mugsy.

But you don't have a bank account, you don't have an online wallet, and you don't have proof of residency.

No I agree. You have to get that stuff. My comment was in reference to the site not accepting you because you're from Thailand.

Muggsy - I thought you were going from the USA.

This makes it very easy.   Keep all of your current bank accounts, bookies, and netellers etc - and use a VPN from Thailand to get a VPN from your current country.  It will be like you never moved.  Easy.