Competitors in the 2024 World Series of Poker Main Event will be required to pay more than $11 million in tax obligations.
In the world of professional poker, the stakes are high, both on and off the table. This is particularly true when it comes to taxation, as the nine finalists of the WSOP Main Event 2024 discovered when they had to pay over 11 million US dollars in taxes on their winnings.
In Germany, the taxation of poker winnings can be a contentious issue. Professional poker players are considered to be engaged in a commercial business activity if their play is regular, systematic, and organized, much like a small business. This was confirmed by the Federal Tax Court in 2025. As a result, income tax and commercial tax apply to these professional players. Casual players, on the other hand, who play for fun, generally face no taxation on their winnings.
Contrastingly, in Austria, the taxation and regulation of gambling, including poker, fall under the Glücksspielgesetz (GSpG). Poker operates under a state monopoly primarily operated through Casinos Austria. However, specific tax treatment of poker winnings is less explicitly detailed publicly. Austria’s gambling regulation focuses largely on licensing, monopoly control, and supervision rather than the individual taxation of poker players.
This results in a significant difference between Germany and Austria. In Germany, professional poker players must pay income and commercial tax on systematic winnings, while casual winnings likely remain untaxed. In Austria, poker operates under a state monopoly with stringent licensing but no public detailed evidence of tax on individual poker winnings like Germany's commercial activity classification.
This tax exemption in Austria applies to both professional players who make a living from poker and hobby players. Notably, Fedor Holz, a successful poker player, moved to Austria in 2013 to benefit from this tax exemption.
The USA also imposes a withholding tax of around 30% for foreign players. This has led some players to consider moving their residence to countries like Austria to enjoy tax exemptions. It remains to be seen whether more poker professionals will follow this trend.
The WSOP Main Event 2024, held in Las Vegas, had a total prize money of over 31 million US dollars. Among the winners, Joe Serock took home 1.25 million US dollars and paid 491,091 US dollars in taxes, while Jonathan Tamayo won 10 million US dollars and paid 3,992,302 US dollars in taxes. The winners included Brian Kim (1.5 million US dollars, 591,126 US dollars in taxes), Boris Angelov (2.5 million US dollars, 250,000 US dollars in taxes), Daniel Weinmann (winner of the WSOP Main Event in 2023, around 5.5 million US dollars in taxes), Niklas Astedt (4 million US dollars, 1,400,000 US dollars in taxes), and Andres Gonzalez (2 million US dollars, 940,000 US dollars in taxes).
In conclusion, the taxation of poker winnings varies significantly between countries. While Germany has a more explicit and stringent tax regime on poker earnings for professional players, Austria focuses on regulating operators under a monopoly structure with less clear taxation on players’ individual poker earnings. The USA, on the other hand, imposes a significant withholding tax for foreign players, potentially leading some to consider moving their residence to countries like Austria.
Online casinos in Germany adhere to a complicated tax system, where professional players are considered to have a commercial activity and thus pay income and commercial tax on their regular winnings, unlike amateurs who play for leisure and remain untaxed. In contrast, Austria, although it operates poker under a state monopoly, presents a tax exemption policy that benefits both professional and amateur players, potentially attracting international poker professionals.
