A number of online poker players including Jon Agular, Vanessa Selbst, Phil Galfond and Mike Brooks have left the United States in search of greener pastures (and by “greener pastures,” we mean places where it’s actually legal to play online poker for real money). Haseeb Qureshi and Dan “jungleman12″ Cates have taken the same action, though it’s unclear when they’ll actually be returning to the virtual tables given their ongoing cheating scandal.
As announced on his Facebook wall, Justin Bonomo is the latest player to join the mass exodus. However, Bonomo hasn’t chosen Canada, the UK or Costa Rica, some of the most popular asylums for recently relocated online high stakes grinders. Instead, he’s chosen Malta, a tiny island in the Mediterranean about 70 miles south of Italy. With a population of nearly 370,000 and a land area of barely 300 square kilometers, Malta is one of the most densely populated nations in the world.
When asked by one of his friends for the reasoning behind his decision, Bonomo cited the excellent weather, easy access to a variety of European tournaments, and the relative ease of setting up permanent residency. Another poster mentioned that “taxes are capped very low too,” which makes one wonder why more players aren’t choosing the tiny island as their ultimate post-Black Friday destination.
Bonomo said that he’d be attending a wedding in Virginia on September 16, and hopes to be settled in Malta by September 20 for the local World Poker Tour tournament. In the meantime, he’ll be getting rid of his furniture, apartment, and possibly even his vehicle, a 2009 Infiniti G37. If you live in Las Vegas (Bonomo’s current residence) and you’re interested in the car, you’d better act quickly, as poker pro Eric Mizrachi has already shown interest.
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