[nopants]

Great - many thoughts, none useful.

How about this - for those who have claimed online poker winnings and paid taxes, is there any differentiation b/w online winnings and B&M winnings? If you've claimed that your winnings were online, I would assume that the lack of gov't intervention in the form of Tom Ridge breaking down your door with some Homeland-protecting SWAT boys would indicate that the IRS doesn't view this as a money-laundering operation.

That being said, it *is* an interesting thought, and more than a little concerning. Wouldn't this be a great way to launder money? Wasn't old Vegas essentially a mob money-laundering operation?

I don't have any decent answers to your questions, but I'm interested in hearing from people who do. I would argue that, instead of transactions taking place between players, that *your* money is coming from the online casino at which you're playing. In the same sense that you cash out the Bellagio's chips at the end of the day (even though you got them from another player). Each player purchases chips from the casino - these chips have no value at other casinos, so it's not like you're carrying cash. You have to cash out at the casino (both online and B&M) so it is the casino's money that you're repatriating. I *think* you're safe on that count. As for the customs implications, I'm clueless.