Planning on moving to Schengen area country next year from USA. I think the chances of getting a work visa are zero seeing the vast majority of my income will be from poker and I will be contributing almost nothing in tax revenue. Does anyone have any recommendations for low tax non-Schengen countries that allow online poker that I could spend the 90 day waiting period in? I am aware of Bulgaria/Romania but those seem like they will be Schengen very soon. Thanks!

Nearby places are UK and Ireland. A lot of places around the world are accessible with a relatively cheap flight ticket.
You might be confusing some terms regarding moves and taxes. If you move somewhere (like the Schengen zone) you will need a visa anyway. The visa waiver program is for business travel and tourism, it does not allow you to take up residence there. Therefore the tax laws of the country are irrelevant to you, in essence you are a visitor. Technically you are violating your terms of stay anyway if on- or offline poker is your main source of income and you pursue that during your visit. Of course practically, chances you will be prosecuted are rather small. As a US citizen you remain liable for US taxes though, no matter where you stay, my understanding is the IRS may audit you even many years after.

Serbia. You will like it

If you are living outside of the USA for 330 days out of the year you qualify for the foreign earned income deduction. You are still required to pay self-employment taxes if you are self employed. I am moving for business. Can you provide evidence of the claim that you need a visa to stay 90 days or less in the Schengen zone as a US citizen? I run a professional poker playing business and I would obviously register whatever official business I needed in the country I was temporarily residing in.

Does Serbia tax gambling winnings?

E.g.
https://eeas.europa.eu/sites/eeas/fi...er_faqs_en.pdf
(see 9, 10 and 14)
It is the same all around the world bro, no matter how you try to frame it, if you want to move somewhere and carry out work (legally) you need a visa, no matter what kind of work. Nobody will let you register a business under the visa waiver program. Ofc what most poker players do in practice is they just disguise as tourists or students, and most of the online poker sites do not care much/at all.
I do not like to be the forum nit, I was just pointing this out because you made it sound like you could kind of do your stuff with the VWP legally. This is not how it works

When immigration says you are not allowed to work, they are referring to *usual* type of work. It is fine for a tourist to play poker without work permit regardless he sees it as his main source of income or not.

Back on the original question: If you want to stay close, Croatia is another nice country to consider.
You can look further as well. Depending on the timing you may find surprisingly cheap flights to places like Thailand and Hong Kong.

The Schengen or whatever isn't very relevant here. Many EU countries are more liberal towards not only the EU members but also the US and other English speaking countries.

The Visas and stay permits are so more elastic. But you need a country that will let you stay there w/o needing a Visa. Romania is one possibility; it is regulated but Stars.com pool and relatively low tax for poker incomes. Daniel "w00ki3z" Gates has himself probably still tagged as Romania at Stars (and JNandez as Switzerland though he is in Germany as far as I know).

What's wrong with 6 months in Mexico or lower? Or both. One can move similarly in the EU also though some countries don't want to see you before 3 months or whatever break. As we face in the USA.

One can try to get more visa time also just that it has become more difficult over the globe. In the EU it is generally if you have money to stay longer, at least if an EU member and one just register (some police station) that one stays over 90d or 3 months if the country allows up to unlimited stay. That rule expands to having incomes and as so you have like a profession (but for tax purposes you never have it as a profession) and you can apply for more and more time to stay till you get permanent resident status in 5 or 10 years (5 for EU). We don't need to apply any in Ireland, just need to register so can later prove one has been there five years so one gets the permanent and even the nationality if one applies for it.

The taxes the US player pays to the USA but I guess it is only under some cases like when earnings are over some high amount, as the under-amount can be deducted.

If you need a Visa to Ireland, maybe you won't get to stay there much longer. But in some ways, it isn't different from Romania (nor Poland but they might be anti-poker, or maybe not anymore). There is no points system so no rules are likely when it comes to the incomes, saving or a profession you need to have. It would be the same if I would move in Mexico or in any free world country.

Dublin rents are sky-high so need to pick a small city. (The Republic of) Ireland (.com pool) has world level tax-free poker incomes but not necessarily for a pro, if you make the mistake to declare as one or as a business (a trade), as that is generally taxed anywhere.

One can declare (as a gambler) as other incomes and it won't be taxed as it can't be at least yet proved that you are a professional that it wasn't won with luck. There is contradictory understanding if Ireland is tax-free for a poker pro but I bet it isn't if having an office, lol, as there is a trade rule that doesn't exist in the UK for gambling but you can't get in the UK as a poker player as they have a points system pretty soon (in fall) and will kick you out then.

Thanks for the insight/info. It appears this is much more complex than I originally thought.

Anyone interested in doing Oktoberfest in Munich? Heading to Europe from around the 15th of Sept to mid-March. Will be bouncing around between Munich, Budapest, and Prague. Would be good to have a compatriot to drink with. Shoot me a PM.

Best,

-Big Body