Hey everyone,

I'm Lutz from Germany and currently live in Gibraltar, working in the poker industry (of which Gibraltar is a big centre, hosting companies like PartyPoker, 888, bwin, Mansion etc.).

If you want to know anything about these two, just let me know here and I'll try to help you to the best of my abilities. Both are great places to visit

Germany
* is Europe's most populous country with 80m people
* just lost the title of world's biggest exporter to China
* provides you with good beer, bread & sausages
* has the original Oktoberfest
* is nowadays a very diverse and multicultural place
* Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds makes you curious about it

Gibraltar
* just 30,000 inhabitants [plus several thousand Spanish commuters]
* belongs to UK
* everyone is bilingual Spanish/English
* is just 6.5 km²
* is famous for it's >400m 'rock' with Europe's only apes on it
* has an airfield that is crossed by the only street leading to Gibraltar

How hard is it to find a gaming related customer support job from Gibraltar? How good does your english have to be for the job in the beginning?

How did you get started in the poker industry?

How is nightlife in Gibraltar?

Just interested, might try something like that some day.

I'm going to germany next year for 1-2 weeks. Probably looking to hit like 3-4 cities. What do you recommend?

Tell us about Germany & Gibraltar!!!

Wait. That was more of a command. Seriously, tell us the coolest things about Germany. Nothing on the "we speak German" sort of "we could wikipedia that for ourselves" sort of line. Tell us things that you find different, exciting, weird, cool, bizarre, fun, and all those other words, sort of things.

From an American Idiot perspective, what is the same, and what is different in your opinion from Germany and the rest of the world?

Personally, not too interested in Gibraltar, but that may just be me...

In Gibraltar, you have an astonishing 3.500+ jobs in the gaming industry. Although, one needs to say that probably 50%+ of that is customer service, which pays at 17k-21k GIP [gibraltar pounds == british pounds] a year.

Biggest employers in the sector are PartyPoker, 888, Victor Chandler [vcpoker], bwin, Ladbrokes, Mansion, William Hill, Betfred, Stan James ...

If you like, I can provide you with links for the biggest Gibraltar based gaming-related recruiting agencies - the best contacts if you want to start a career here.

For the customer service jobs [and some others, such as community management, translations, editorial], your native language is more important.

So it is okay if your English is "just" good enough to communicate with your superiors & colleagues - it does not necessarily need to be 100% flawless.

I played the real time strategy game StarCraft for quite a time - and from this community, the biggest poker company with German roots emerged: PokerStrategy .com

I started doing translations for their first English site [I wasn't really good at it ], but moved on to a lot of different areas and work full time there since ~2.5 years

Of course you do not have a night live comparable to London or Berlin, but still I think it is very nice.

First thing you need to know here is that the Spanish town of La Linea is directly bordering Gibraltar, adding another 60,000 people to the 'metropolitan area'.

In Gibraltar, you've got quite a nice choice of some clubs & two centres of nightlife:
1. Ocean Village & Marina Bay - a new development with the casino (where the industry meets at the poker tables ) with around 15 restaurants / pubs. Here, there's an overweight of the gaming industry guys & gals.
2. Casemates Square / Main Street - ~5 clubs & 30 pubs/restaurants - Gibraltar youth overweight.

30-45 minutes away is Marbella - one of the posh party capitals of Europe. Kind of the Spanish St. Tropez / Brighton.

Tough call

Probably a must is Berlin, as it is one of the 'history cities' of the century with lots of memorials, museums etc.

Plus, Berlin is comparably really cheap - cheaper than all other big metropolitan areas in Germany, and way cheaper than London/Paris.

Hamburg is probably one of the best cities to live in in Europe. 1.8m, much water [more bridges than venice], and the famous 'Reeperbahn'.

Köln (Cologne) I would recommend if you visit during the carnival.
Munich is of course a must in late September [Oktoberfest], and also an attractive city [being Germany's 3rd largest & probably richest city].

As you probably land in Frankfurt, I would suggest the following four:

1. Frankfurt - because it also has some beautiful places & because you prolly land there.
2. Berlin - biggest city, capital, big history, much culture etc.
3. Hamburg or Munich - the harbour city vs. the bavarian city. - probably also depends on the time of the year. Summer Hamburg, Autumn Munich e.g.
4. Some historical town / place such as Rothenburg ob der Tauber [picturesque town] or Aachen [former capital of the "Holy Roman Empire of German Nation", having a church from the year 800 which was the crowning place for Emperors for hundreds of years]

Well, obvious things first:
Germany's special place in history.
The German Empire was quite a scattered place & very different from the other European nation states. E.g. while France was 95% catholic & centrally ruled, German had 7 "Kurfürsten", who elected the emperor: 3 bishops, 4 worldy sovereigns; 3 protestant, 4 catholic.

That lead - amongst others - to Germany being the main battleground of the 30 years war, in which protestants fought against catholics & the Swedish, French & Austrians held their proxy war.

After that, Prussia's rise began. It was small & scattered (i.e. it had a lot of territories that were not directly connected), surrounded by Russia, France, Austria & their small german allies.

In the seven years war, Prussia showed it's new pragmatic-militarist face: being able to lead a war with financial support by the English with their three neighbours at once, who all were bigger than Prussia.

The seven years war was kind of a "World War 0", as England allied with Prussia and took the chance to battle France in its colonies in Asia, Africa & America.

Prussia won - but sadly that was the beginning of the militarist self-overestimation that was one of the factors that ultimately led to the biggest of crimes: World War II & the holocaust.

The ironical thing: Prussia also stood for being pragmatist & progressive. They took in the Hugenots, a highly educated religious group who were being mocked in France.

That was the great Germany: Prussia & Berlin was made great in large parts by Hugenot & Jewish scientists & artisans. While being politically conservative & militarist, Germans invented social insurance & communism. Germany had lots of famous composers & philosophers such as Beethoven, Bach, Kant & Nietzsche. And it was the leading science nation from 1890 to 1930.

The dark face of Germany meant ruining a lot of the best of it. The German jews e.g. were so over-representend in arts, culture & science.

With WWII, Germany lost it's leading edge in many sciences. German Engineers driven out by the Nazis or acquired by them post-war built rockets, jet fighters, nuclear bombs for both the USA and the Soviet Union. Germany's share in Nobel prizes fell from maybe 30% to 5%.

Post-war, Germany made it's recovery with hard work & old engineering skills. It became democratic & pacifist (and probably is a leader in both virtues today), very self-critical & internationally cautious.


Well, so we come to the modern Germany - especially compared to the US.
You can describe Germany by some key issues what changed in the US with Obama:
* being green [Green party was found as a pacifist & ecological movement in the 80ies & ruled with the social democrats 1998-2005 - a stone-throwing anarchist called Joschka Fischer eventually becoming secretary of state]
* being multilateral [i.e. pushing forward the European Union & the UN]
* being pacifist
* being more social [i.e. even more 'communist' than Obama regarding social cover & health insurance ]

But Germany is also backwards in many ways. Too many decision-makers in politics being catholic or industry lobbyists. Being slow to push forward economic reforms. The anglo-saxons for sure have an edge in being more liberal & pragmatic. But well, maybe it's just me being a Manchester Liberalist


German Economy
* no resources [well, a little coal]
* compared to the US: low services
* low agriculture
* so: highly dependant on high-tech/high-value manufacturing industry

You could call Germany the workshop of the World. No one else builds so much machinery & equipment. That made Germany comparably well off in 2000-2007, when the BRIC states rose [Brasil, Russia, India, China], because Germans built their infrastructure. But that is also a big weakness: Germany is way too dependent on Exports & the economic growth of the world.

Examples of typical German companies:
* a maker of brewing machinery, who is a medium-sized company and highly specialized on building turn-key factories to brew beer. It has >50% world market share in that, and only 2% of its sales are domestic. Fun fact: it recently re-equipped the Nanking-based factories of the biggest Chinese brewer Tsingtao - replacing >100 year old brew kettles. Whom the same company placed there in 1905.
* a 20 man company that is world-leader in producing machines that colour cans. Close to all your coke & beer & red bull cans are coloured by their products.


German People
To prevent being boring, let me keep it with a non-standard info:
Germans love so much when someone speaks a few words of German, even if the accent is horrible. The best trick to befriend Germans on your holiday is to learn a funny sentence on German.


Well, probably that was too long & not 'non-standard' enough for you. Being a typical pacificst & defensive German: I apologise

Cool post. I have been living in Germany since September 2006 and I love it. How do you get from Germany to Gibraltar?

Hey suciu,

our company has German roots and ~25% of our staff are still German.

Gibraltar really is a kind of melting pot - guess no other city of that size has such a mix of cultures & nationalities

I think your post is pretty cool, liked how you described Germany in a few lines. It still boggles my mind to see how unjustly underrated this country is (as far as good living is concerned). I made the best decision to relocate here, my wife likes it too and I think we'll stay for a while.

Good luck in Gibraltar!

PS keep taking my money, might help if I stop going to the casino drunk.

Would it be easy for me to work in the poker industry in Gibraltar as an American citizen? I speak english and spanish fluently, and am currently employed as a software engineer with a degree in Computer Science.

I've been wanting to make the move to Europe, but it's hard to find companies willing to sponsor me for a work visa.

Where is a good place to play poker in Germany? What are the games (limit\no limit - stakes - holdem\omaha)? Also, what are the rakes like?

With an IT background, you should have good cards dealt in the gaming industry.

The downside might be: most gaming firms do not have their main IT / software development in Gibraltar.

But trying is comparably easy: I'd recommend trying the following three recruitment agencies for Gibraltar:
http://www.quadconsultancy.com/
http://www.recruitgibraltar.com/
http://bettingjobs.com/

There are plenty more, but from my experience, more than three just means redundand effort - and those three proved to bring us the most good candidates & seemed to be professional enough.

I can think of not too few companies that are basically willing to sponsor visas, including us, PartyGaming etc.

If you speak German, you could start in our IT in Hamburg, working on our HEM/PT competitor

Even if it's not Germany, Vienna needs to be named here. It is probably the biggest place for live poker in the German speaking countries.

Outside of that, the Casinos in Hamburg, Berlin & Dortmund are usually named to have the most/best poker games running.

But I need to say that I'm by far not the best expert to ask that - I'm not so much of a live poker player

tell us about nightlife in gibraltar and taxes, online poker, stripclubs, food basically stuff you cant find on wikipedia

Foreword:
GIP = Gibraltar Pound = British Pound [1:1]

Taxes in Gibraltar
On yearly income:
20% up to 25k GIP
29% from 25k GIP to 75k GIP
38% from 75k GIP
i.e. very similar to the UK, but social insurance is a little cheaper here. So in the overall average, it's a little better than in UK.

Online Poker
As a Gibraltar resident, you cannot officially play on PartyPoker.
Outside of that, legal situation is as in the UK, so good.

Strip Clubs
There are none, to my knowledge. But probably you find 'em 30 miles up the coast at Marbella

Food
British infrastructure [I love Morrisons] + the option to quickly go to Spain and shop there. Andalucia is a nice region food product wise.

Nightlife
There's a couple of clubs, a casino with normally 2 poker tables, and plenty of pubs & restaurants. Certainly not the choice & quality of restaurants you can find in a city like London or Hamburg - but it's pretty okay.
In neighboring La Linea, there's also a lot of pubs, tapas bars etc.

Within 35 minutes, you're in Marbella, one of the posh nightlife centres in Europe.
Within 1.5 hours, you're in Malaga, Cadiz, Sevilla - the three big cities in Andalucia.
Within 20 minutes, you're in Algeciras, from where it's just a 35 minutes ferry trip to Africa.

-Can EU citizens live in Gibraltar without having a real job (playing poker)?
-Do you pay taxes on gambling winnings?
-Cost of living compared to other EU countries?
- You basically everybody is bilingual, but what language is more commonly spoken?

- How many Dutch people work for your company? (and could I get in contact with some of them?)
- How much do you pay for housing, living expenses, etc (how much for rent, for food). Estimated?

This week I was being approached by a recruiter for your company, and it does sound very tempting. Only problem is I purchased a house last year and that makes it complicated. Before I can even consider a step like this, I need a bit of good sense of what I earn vs what I have to spend (especially if you have double the costs in two countries.)

How's the live poker scene in gibraltar, specifically the low stakes?

@petertje1007:
1. Can EU citizens live in Gibraltar without having a real job (playing poker)? - Yes, they can.
2. Do you pay taxes on gambling winnings? - To my knowledge no taxes on poker winnings.
3. Cost of living compared to other EU countries? - Rents are high, for a studio apt you need to calculate 500 pounds / month. Rest is absolutely fine, as there is no VAT here in Gib. A pack of cigarettes is 1 pound, a pint in a pub is 2.50 etc.
4. You basically everybody is bilingual, but what language is more commonly spoken? - Business, shops etc. English. But on the streets, I'd say its 50-50.

4 Community Managers, 1 Team Leader, 1 Finance & 1 is coordinating our pro team. So 7. And of course getting in contact is possible. Just drop me a line to lutz@poker strategy.com [without the space between poker and strategy].

If you're not a poker player going for the legal situation, you can also live in Spain and work in Gibraltar. There, rents are way cheaper - but you have to communte over the border.

More infos below.


About Rents

Gib:
Studios: from £500
One Bedroom Apartments: from £650
Two Bedroom Apartments: from £800
Three Bedroom Apartments from £1100

Shared Rental:
from £ 400 per room

Utility Costs: ca £60 for one person

Advantages:
+ No transport needed
+ No Border Queuing
+ Everything close by
+ One of the world's safest places
+ interesting tourist spots
+ short ways in and out the office

Disadvantages:
- Relatively high rental prices
- lots of tourists
- polluted air

Spain:

1 bedroom: from €300
2 bedroom: from €500
3 bedroom: from €600

Utility Costs: €50 for one person

Advantages:
+Low rents/lower cost of living
+living near the sea possible

Disadvantages:
- Probably transport needed
- long border queue at rush hour times
- spanish skills needed
- high criminal incident rate
- difficult socializing

Links:
http://www.brayproperties.com/
http://www.bfagib.com/
http://www.richardsonsproperties.com/
http://www.bmigroup.gi/


Prices

Unhealthy stuff:

Petrol: £0,88/L for Super/98 Octane - Ca. £0.81 for Normal/95 Octane
Cigarettes: £1 - £2
1 L Bottle of Vodka: £4.40
1 Pint of Lager in Pub: £2.50


Typical Shopping Cart

Morrisons [nice supermarket in Gib]
4 Apples: £1
Iceberg Lettuce: £1.25
6 Tomatoes: £1.65
Watermelon: £2.79
New Potatoes (2.3kg): £1.49
5 Peppers: £1
Mushrooms 250g: £1
15 Eggs: £2
Shampoo: £1.75
Conditioner: £1.75
Shower Gel: £ 0.95
Deodorant: £1.09
Roll on Deodorant: £ 0.99
Toothpaste Signal: £ 0.75
Toothbrush: £1.19
Cotton buds: £ 0.49
Suncare Lotion: £3.29
Kitchen Roll: £1.49
Toilet Roll: £1.89
8 Pack Tissues: £ 1.39
Air Refresher: £ 0.79
Cleaning Cloths: £ 1.09
Sponger: £ 0.45
Washing up liquid: £ 0.79
laundry powder bio (1.2kg): £2.69
Fabric Conditioner: £0.79
Kitchen Foil: £1.09
Cling Film: £0.89
Baking Paper: £1.09
1l Sunflower Oil: £1.89
Malt Vinegar: £0.59
Salt: £ 0.35
Pepper: £0.65
500g Rice: £0.75
500g Spaghetti: £0.99
500g Pasta Shells: £1.19
Jar of Pasta Sauce: £1.25
Tuna in brine: £1.09
Tin of mixed vegetables: £ 0.75
70g Green Olives: £0,35
Mayonnaise: £0.75
Ketchup: £1.19
Mustard (American Style): £1.25
Sugar: £0.79
Instant Coffee: £1.85
Peppermint Infusion: £ 0.85
1kg Cornflakes: £1.75
Swiss Style Muesli: £1.59
1l Milk: £0.99
Marshmallows: £0.99
Sparkling Fruit Drops: £0.99
Milka Chocolate: £ 0,95
Walkers Crisps: £1.25
Chocolate Chip Cookies: £0.95
Custard Creams: £0.59
1.5kg Flour: £1.09
Strawberry Jam: £1.25
Honey: £1.75
Nutella: £1.59
Toast Bread: £1.09
6 White Rolls: £0.65
5l still water: £0.95
Strawberry & Cream Dessert: £ 1.09
Natural Yogurt: £0.95
Robinson Squash: £ 0.99
Margarine: £ 0.89
Cooked Ham: £1
Chorizo: £1.29
Pate: £0.75
Cheese Triangles: £0.85
Camenbert: £1.29
Brie: £0.99
Sliced Cheese (Cheddar): £1.75
2 Pizzas: £2.50
Paella Stir Fry: £1
Lasagne: £1
4 Pork Steaks: £2.39
Chips (900g): £1.19
2l Ice Cream: £ 1.59
Whole Chicken: £ 2.70
2l Lemonade: £0.69
2l Cola: £0.69
Orange Juice: £0.99

Spain:
1kg Apples: €0.99
Potatoes 3kg: €1.86
Tomatoes 1kg: €0.99
200g Chrizo: €1.47
12 Eggs: €1.24
Toast Bread: €0.93
Coffee: €0.99
Milk: €0.62
300g Maasdam Cheese: €1.65
1l Sunflower Oil: €0.89
Mayonnaise: €0.83
Ham Pizza: €1.75
5l Still Water: €0,60
3 Sponger: €0.65
Kitchen Roll: €1.85
1 Can of No-name Lager: €0,26
130g Olives with Anchovies: €0.69
Bottle of Red Wine: €1.75
2L Coca Cola: €1.36
24 Cans of Mahou Lager: €6.04
1kg Chips: €1,99
156g Tuna in Brine: €1.85
500g Spaghetti: €0.73
Heinz Ketchup: €2.58
25 Bags of Peppermint infusion: €1.50
12 Pack Toilet Roll: €3.99
Frozen Mixed Vegetables: €1.00
360g King Prawns: €2.85
Pate: €0.67
160g Crisps: €0.94
1l Rose Wine: €0.83


Tax Regime

Gross Income Based System
individuals will receive no allowances and will pay tax on their gross assessable income at the following rates:

Individuals with gross assessable income not exceeding £16,000:
• the first £10,000 of assessable income - 10%, balance - 20%


Individuals with gross assessable income between £16,001 and £25,000
• income of £16,001 to £17,000, on the first £5,000 - 0%
• balance - 20%

income of £17,001 to £18,000
• on the first £4,000 - 0%, balance - 20%

income of £18,001 to £19,000
• on the first £3,000 - 0%, balance - 20%

income of £19,001 to £20,000
• on the first £2,000 - 0%, balance - 20%

income of £20,001 to £25,000
• on the first £1,000 - 0%, balance - 20%


Individuals with gross assessable income exceeding £25,000
• the first £25,000 of assessable income - 20%
• the next £75,000 of assessable income - 29%
• the remainder of the assessable income - 35%

We've got one casino with daily poker tournaments & cash games.

Tournaments are 5 - 50 pound buy-in; cash games are 90% .5/1 NL and 10% 1/2 NL.

During the week, its 1-2 tables, at weekends it's 2-3.

For higher traffic & higher limits, you'd need to go to Marbella or sth

Curious about this for a Canadian citizen.

Also, what is the weather like in Gibraltar, during which months?

I'm pretty sure EU citizens can move to Gibraltar without a job.
And I'm also pretty sure you do pay no taxes on gambling winnings.

Weather stolen from Wikipedia:


Tonight, it rained heavily for the first time in months (a little rain here and there ignored).