Taxation of poker in Europe
For poker players the profits, and regrettably also the losses, can quickly mount up. The game is played with high frequency at casinos and on poker sites and the stakes are often very high. The game generates vast flows of money in the directions of both winners and operators, and Governments across Europe have been swift to tax these monies, regardless sometimes of whether the game is marketed through legal channels. In the majority of instances tax is imposed solely on the profits realized by the gaming operator, with a distinction being made between forms of poker whereby an operator also participates in the game, or merely facilitates the game for others. However, in a number of instances the player is also required to declare game winnings for tax purposes. This article takes a comparative look at the tax treatment of poker in England, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and Malta. In doing so, we have differentiated between remote (internet) poker and live-tournament poker and, in the case of each specific country, we also outline who is defined as taxpayer, the type of tax liability involved and the taxable rates applicable. … Continue Reading
