“American card players are hardly a high priority for humanitarian organisations protecting the rights of the world’s imperiled communities. But such is the current plight of professional poker players in the United States, where online poker has been all but illegal since April 2011, that a new service launched offering to relocate beleaguered card players to “poker-friendly countries” around the world.”

“A glistening swimming pool, fed by waterfalls and flanked by fat palm trees, lies 20 steps from Matthew Stout and Joey Cappuccio’s new apartment in San Jose, Costa Rica. Like thousands of other professional players, Stout and Cappuccio have been denied their source of income since Black Friday—Apr. 15, 2011—the day when, without warning, the Justice Dept. blocked access to the three top online poker sites in the U.S. Relocated and logged in, they’re making up for lost time.”

“Wilson did pretty much everything for the transplants. She found them houses, she had them fetched at the airport, she walked them through immersion in the day-to-day culture. She even defended them to skeptical landlords who didn’t want night owls as tenants.”

“A Dept of Justice shutdown of the major Internet poker sites on April 15, 2011, has turned Hastings and other poker pros into nomads who often set up shop in foreign countries to ply their trade online.”

“Moving abroad might not be right for all players, but until legislation changes, it might be one of the only options for many players.”

“I knew that I had to make the move out of the country to continue to live my dream,” says Chris Hunichen, a top-earning player who moved to Costa Rica with a group of friends. “I was horrified at first and nervous at what my new life would entail,” he says. That fear soon disappeared.

“To get around the American blockade on real-money games, Olivier Busquet flew to Toronto, opened a bank account there and leased a furnished apartment. Then he kept playing. Other diehards are considering similar moves. In fact, Poker Refugees helps poker players set up temporary residences and bank accounts in countries like Canada and Costa Rica.”

“If you’ve ever considered leaving home to play online poker in a different country, you’re just like thousands of other players. The concept of moving can be overwhelming to think about, but luckily, a unique company exists that is built to handle all the logistics a poker player could ever need – from finding the best Internet access to ordering a pizza. Meet Poker Refugees.”

“What started with helping American Poker Players move because of Black Friday has turned into another branch of the “digital nomad” global movement we are seeing in all the virtual industries. People who are self-employed or entrepreneurs want to do what they want and live where they want. Poker players included. We now work for players from any country, regardless of the reason why they are moving.”