flying with your bankroll...

[ArtVandelay]

suppose I was going to fly somewhere and wanted a >10k bankroll for the games there

1) 10k is often a magic number; are there any legal problems flying with that domestically?
2) what are other (but cheap/free) alternatives to carrying cash?

[Bremen]

[ QUOTE ]
1) 10k is often a magic number; are there any legal problems flying with that domestically?

[/ QUOTE ]
None that anyone here has ever reported.

[ QUOTE ]
2) what are other (but cheap/free) alternatives to carrying cash?

[/ QUOTE ]
Wiring money to the cage/ getting a line of credit from the casino.

Most people here, myself included, would just carry the cash.

[BoxTree]

I suppose you could get 10k worth of traveler's cheques....

[afish]

There is no law against flying domestically with any amount of cash. If you fly abroad with more than 10K, you need to declare it.

Negreanu had a post about running into some trouble in the Miami airport because of the cash he was carrying, but I assume it was a six or seven figure sum. Even then, they let him go.

[jaydub]

As I have posted before, > 10 can be seized. It's part of the drug laws

J

[Ray Zee]

any amount can be taken so split it up between your pockets so it doesnt bulge and they wont feel it and have any reason to detain you.
best to have a bank account with a national chain that has offices in where you are going and withdraw there if possibel.
travelers checks are no longer guareenteed by american express or the other companies and few if any palces will give you any decent amount of cash for them without having an acount with them. they are basically useless nowadays.

[afish]

This is not correct. Because of abuses under the old forfeiture laws, federal forfeiture laws were amended in 2000. I'm not saying law enforcement won't make a mistake, but the most of the forfeiture horror stories predate this change in the law. Here's a press release describing some of the changes. Note that the feds didn't seize Negreanu's money.

[cardcounter0]

I guess these guys didn't hear about the year 2000 changes:

Man Sues Over Cash Seized at Airport
Sep. 6, 2004
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A Salt Lake man is suing federal and city agencies, claiming $26,000 was illegally taken from him at Salt Lake City International Airport and it cost him $20,000 in legal expenses to get it back.

Matthew Ryan Smith, owner of Rythmatic Enterprises, claims the business and his personal reputation suffered after police removed him in handcuffs from the Salt Lake International Airport Aug. 14, 2003, according to his lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court last week.

Smith, 27, is seeking compensatory and punitive damages. The action names the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, Drug Enforcement Administration and Marshal Service and the Salt Lake City police, whose officers detained Smith until DEA agents arrived.

The U.S. Attorney's Office represents all of the federal agencies in court. Spokeswoman Melodie Rydalch declined comment on Thursday, saying the office had not yet seen the suit.

Smith's attorney, Marianne McGregor Guelker, said he was never charged with a crime,

In the court documents, Smith, a glassblower and artist, claims that when he was detained, he had been traveling to Seattle to attend various art festivals to purchase gems, minerals, glass supplies and finished art for his business.

A TSA agent told Smith that she was required by policy to contact police when large sums of money are discovered among a passenger's effects.

A Salt Lake police officer contacted DEA agents, who over the telephone began an inquiry, telling him, "If you're gonna play hard with me, I'm going to come and seize your money," and "It'll take your lawyer at least a year to get it back," the court documents state.

Smith said he was detained and questioned for four hours, was not allowed to watch police handle and count his money, was made to turn over his wallet and car keys and was put off when he asked on three occasions to contact an attorney.

Smith alleges that agents searched his vehicle without his permission and that a dog trained to sniff out drugs was coaxed into a reaction to Smith's money.

The suit also says Smith was made to sign a receipt for his seized funds, even though that receipt contained no statement of the items taken or their value.

Smith was never charged with a state or federal crime, although federal agents held his money for more than nine months, and the money returned to him was a few thousand dollars short of the total he was carrying, court documents state.

Concerns that asset seizures were used against innocent property owners were among reasons Utah voters approved Initiative B in 2000, which, among other things, diverted the profits from the seizures to schools instead of police agencies. This year, the Legislature repealed key provisions of the initiative, redirecting the profits to law enforcement and also providing some new restrictions and conditions.

[GambleGamble]

A friend of mine was going to Vegas strictly to play cards for 2 days he wasnt even getting a room and barely brought a carryon..he also bought his ticket the same day and had 8k+ on him and he got the "moon river" by security and barely made his flight.

This happened a year after 9/11 so it may be part of the problem, carrying significant cash can draw the attentiong of the powers tht be either way...I would try to wire the money or figure out some other less conspicous way to travel with that much cash.

[leon]

Stupidly, in the past I have brought over 30K with me to Vegas with no hassle. I say stupidly b/c I'm a nit and would never put that much of myself in action anyways, but the thinking was "hey, you never know if you'll find a good 300-600 game". Just a stupid, unnecessary risk. FYI I just carried it in my backpack. As far as I know there is currently no law prohibiting you from carrying that much cash within our borders but there's always the potential of being hassled.


I would just have the money wired to the casino, leaving enough time to make sure the funds get there.

Leon