Deputy Editor
Some poker players who earned big scores at the World Series of Poker International Circuit festival at the Casino de Marrakech in Morocco reportedly had to wait about a month to receive payment.
According to some posts on social media, at least two Europe-based players left the venue without getting paid following top-four finishes in two of the biggest tournaments: the €2,800 super high roller and €1,500 main event. Many European players frequent the tournament festivals in Morocco, across the Mediterranean Sea in Northern Africa.
It’s not the first time that an overseas tournament has created money headaches for underprepared poker players. Especially in a world increasingly reliant on digital payment processing, many traveling poker players find themselves caught off guard when dealing with foreign transaction systems and money laws.
Although ultimately all the affected players received their winnings, it’s a reminder that it’s important to consider financial logistics when traveling abroad for a tournament, especially if you’ve never had to move large sums of cash internationally before.
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Poker Players Reportedly Not Paid For a Month After WSOPC Event
The WSOP Circuit stop in Morocco drew some big crowds, generating a prize pool north of $2.5 million in its main event.
Irish player Turlough McHugh finished in third place for a career-best $187,000. But according to the X post from Poker Strategy’s Barry Carter, McHugh had to wait about a month before receiving his money.
PokerScout attempted to contact McHugh, but he declined comment, as he’s reportedly been paid.
Another player, Ian Gascoigne, was the first to sound the alarm on social media, posting on Feb. 14. He finished fourth in the high roller for about $41,000. A representative from the casino replied and said the payment was in progress, but as of Feb. 25, Gascoigne said he had not been paid.
PokerScout reached out to the WSOP to inquire as to why this may have happened and what role the WSOP has in ensuring smooth operations for their circuit events. The WSOP had not provided a response at the time of writing. Typically, WSOPC arrangements only involve licensing the brand name and intellectual property on the WSOP’s end. The venue then handles the actual running of the events.
(Editor’s note: On March 2, the WSOP contacted PokerScout and confirmed all players from the Marrakech stop have been paid. A WSOP contact said that payouts in Morocco are “subject to specific local regulatory and tax verification processes” that lengthen the process considerably.)
Not the First Overseas Mess for Poker Players
In the grand scheme of things, a month-long payment delay is not the worst possible outcome. Other poker players have encountered much more dire hardships in trying to bring their winnings home.
Attending poker events in exotic locations can be a nice treat, but it’s important to be prepared. Moving large quantities of cash can be risky, as a group of poker players traveling back from the Bahamas for PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in 2016 found out. Having failed to declare the cash they were carrying, they were searched and ultimately found themselves thrown in Bahamian prison.
Presumably well aware of these risks, Gascoigne said he declined to take his winnings in cash. He said that his flight out of the country was leaving mere hours after the tournament finished. However, by not allowing himself time to handle the banking himself, he was leaving himself at the mercy of the casino’s financial processes.
Some events, such as PokerStars Live, allow players a speedy cashout by sending the money to their online accounts. That may be an option for WSOP International Circuit events, since the brand is owned by GGPoker. One player told PokerScout they cashed out in that manner from WSOP Paradise. But it’s unclear whether it was an option for the Morocco stop.
The bottom line is that poker players would do well to scout out their options and plan ahead for the possibility of a big score before attending international events. While such a situation is generally joyous, it can also lead to a major hassle if the player doesn’t have a plan for how to move the money safely and swiftly.
Image credit: DRAGANCESTIC/Wikimedia Commons (license)
