international travel/online gambling questions.

DaycareInferno · #1 09-10-2007, 11:45 PM

at the end of the year i am moving to moscow from the US for a few months with my girlfriend. i'm pretty stressed about it, because not only do i have all the typical things to worry about, like passports, visas, getting dumped in a frozen hell where i don't speak the language, etc, i also have to worry about how i am going to get my money there.

i don't know anything about russian online gambling laws, or what i need to do to be able to get money in and out of my poker accounts once i get there. i'd like to have it taken care of ahead of time so that i don't have to worry about being stuck without an income once i get there.

i was thinking about opening a bank account in moscow with my girlfriends name also on the account, and then just making new poker accounts in her name, but i don't know how easy or difficult making the transition is without doing that.

i'm going to start researching, but if anyone knows anything that might save me some time, i'd much appreciate any advice.

#2 09-11-2007, 03:41 AM

DaycareInferno · #3 09-11-2007, 04:54 AM

what's that?

TheMetetron · #4 09-11-2007, 12:43 PM

Keep your USA [censored]. Get an ING Direct account. Use ATM Card. Easy.

BigPoppa · #5 09-11-2007, 02:52 PM

You will likely be able to open new poker accounts in your own name. Iopened ones from Germany with only moderate hassle. No sites that I know of bar American citizens, just America residents.

adanthar · #6 09-11-2007, 04:26 PM

Moscow's Internet cafes are full of people playing Party on every single computer. Online poker isn't even regulated in any way (although some sites won't take Russian CC's due to chargebacks). You'll be fine.

Bank accounts are hard to open in Russia, though - you'll need to bring proof of a job or legal stay in the country for 6+ months. OTOH, when you get a lease, you'll probably be able to open a Moneybookers or Neteller account without much trouble.

DaycareInferno · #7 09-11-2007, 11:49 PM

thanks guys. its good to know that at least there's one thing i don't have to worry about too much.

the snag that i'm running into now is that aparently a homestay visa is only good for 3 months. we thought it would be longer than that and were hoping it was more like 6-12 months. since i'll be playing poker for a living, there's no way that i can get a work visa. just getting the homestay visa looks ilke a huge pain in the ass too.

adanthar · #8 09-12-2007, 02:32 PM

IIRC, you can get it renewed in most Russian embassies outside the country, so just take a trip to someplace like Lithuania and get it done there. The Baltics are really nice in the spring/early summer, anyway.

DaycareInferno · #9 09-12-2007, 03:01 PM

thanks a ton, man. we didn't know that. you may have just saved me from getting married.

Dale Dough · #10 09-12-2007, 10:26 PM

I live in Moscow. I have no job, but I do have a business visa and a bank account. That I managed to wire money into from Party. They changed the rules, though - they will now only wire money to banks in the country where you have your address listed. I have used other means to cash out so I didn't bother trying to prove residency, because I have like no bills or stuff that are actually in my name. It should be possible though - but do let them know in advance. I use Alfa Bank.

Another thing - do NOT get the homestay visa. AFAIK it will be a pain in the ass for your girl to make the invitation, involving multiple visits to a place with long lines. I use a business visa, and last time I checked I could stay 6 months at a time max. I got it through www.rusvisa.org - they arrange for the invitation needed for the visa. It cost me 150 bucks for a 12-month invitation (the visa will still cost you extra - not sure about current rates, depends on your embassy and how soon you order in advance, too lazy to look it up right now).

For more qualified responses, I recommend www.expat.ru (the forums).