Quote:
Originally Posted by Saklad
True, but enough with this paranoia. You're flying in and out of Vegas for Christ's sake. Do you think people don't fly in and out of there with tremendous amounts of money on a daily basis?
There are zero laws restricting how much money you can fly with, within the united states. It's simple. If they question what the money is for, tell them exactly the truth.
It's amazing how this same thread pops up at the end of May each year and the only story that is mentioned of a seizure is Viffer, who if I'm not mistaken bought a one way ticket soon before his flight in cash. Therefore the red flag.
KingBB, Bav, JayLV, etc can shed more accurate light on wiring the money, or taking a line of credit but from what I understand the casino basically expects you to spend that dough in the pits. They aren't your bank.
You'll be fine op. you're doing nothing wrong. Don't act like it or believe otherwise.
I use the Viffer thread because he's a well known poker player we can all relate to. There are MANY other examples.
Daniel Negreanu had trouble leaving the country with lotsa cash to play in some Caribbean tournament which he documented in his blog a couple years ago. He'd dutifully checked the ">$10K" box and still was dragged out and detained for a long while, almost missing his flight, and only making it apparently because some law dog recognized him and told the others to leave him alone.
Phoenix airport alone seized over $3 million in 2011.
http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/val...arcotics_t.php This is worth reading just for the couple stories within, including the line, "he noticed the guy had an awkward gait.They took the suspect to a private room and soon found $96,000 in two tightly packed rolls tucked into his butt cheeks." The humorous comment above about latex isn't really that far fetched.
The famous Ron Paul guy who was grabbed and threatened by TSA simply for having $4700 in cash (demonstrating that there's nothing at all magical about $10K... TSA and DEA and friends have no more right to take $470,000 from you than $470):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEJpzVPmih0 (Yes, he was sorta asking for it by being uncooperative, but he has the Constitutional right to be uncooperative--silly 4th and 5th amendments are so annoying.)
It happens all the time that folks traveling with cash to buy cars, pay for medical procedures, gamble, or whatever have their money taken from them without cause. Simply having that much in cash can be used by itself as evidence of guilt at the discretion of the officers involved. And somehow the US courts have allowed the perversion to continue. To get your money back you must prove it is not illicit booty; The burden of proof shifts to you.
Just because you've carried $50K in cash on you 8 times without a problem doesn't mean you won't have a problem. If 1% of the time your cash is taken from you, most travelers will never have it happen. It's not a risk worth losing enormous sleep over, but it's a risk. Having some evidence of where you got the money may help (a bank receipt showing you withdrew it a few days ago, say, in preparation for your trip).