In Colombia, every poker champion knows that the moment the wire hits the account, the celebration gets cut short—because the taxman shows up. Capital gains withholding is part of the game now. But this isn’t a local oddity. It’s a global trend. And Las Vegas proves it.
At the 2025 World Series of Poker, champion Jonathan Tamayo watched his $10 million prize shrink to just $6 million after taxes. Runner-up Jordan Griff walked away with $3.4 million from an expected $6 million. Spanish finalist Andrés González, who finished sixth, lost nearly 50% of his winnings to tax agencies and intermediaries. More than $11 million went straight to the government. And nobody flinched. Taxation has quietly become another rule of the game.
Colombia is walking that same path. As of mid-2025, the country’s tax authority, DIAN, reported over 94 trillion pesos in revenue, with gambling taxes playing a major role. Coljuegos, the regulator for legal gambling, had already transferred more than 267 billion pesos to the national health system by May alone.
Poker is no longer just entertainment. It’s a fiscal machine. One that demands structure, transparency, and legitimacy.
Should players be angry? Only if they want to keep playing blind. What once felt like harassment now looks more like formalization. The smart ones have learned to treat tournaments not as lucky strikes, but as structured environments—with limits, rules, and yes, undeniable opportunities.
In fact, this shift marks the maturation of the market. Big payouts are no longer lost in informality. They circulate. They’re taxed. They’re tracked. And they support an industry that’s finally being taken seriously.
Those who understand the long game will stay at the table.
Even with taxes, this is still a game you can win. But not just anyhow. You need to read the moment, understand the landscape, and above all, pick the right place to bet. Sometimes, what feels like a burden is just the entry fee to a higher level—one where only those with a clear vision and cold strategy survive.
