If you happened along the beautiful Rosarito Beach, you would be forgiven if you didn’t recognize one of the many celebrities who have recently made the Mexican town home over the past year. These wealthy American celebs are estimated to spend a combined $75,000 minimum each month in this town of 65,000 residents located approximately 35 minutes south of the U.S. border. Easy access to the United States, coupled with friendly online poker legislation, means that many US poker players who make a living online find it a desirable destination for their new digs. As you probably know, on April 15, 2011, US online poker was dealt a huge kick in the pants when the four major online poker providers located in the US were shut down. Some players moved to the Far East and locations like Thailand, and some headed north to Canada. Those preferring a tropical climate have been heading to Rosarito Beach, Mexico.

Home to one of the largest groups of US professional poker playing expatriates, Rosarito Beach has been growing its American poker professional residential community through word-of-mouth. Professional online poker player Joshua “Jdawg91” Hoesel said he heard about the community “through a couple of friends of mine, and I decided I’d come down and see if I like it.” The cost of living is extremely low compared to just an hour north in California, and an unofficial count shows more than 100 professional online poker players call Rosarito Beach home.

The amount of money which is moving out of the United States when virtually every locality, municipality and state is desperate for a legalized cash infusion is gargantuan at minimum. In 2001 online poker revenue globally was estimated around only $82 million. That number tripled in 2005 to approximately $2.4 billion, and in 2010 estimates from online gambling analysts show that all forms of online betting hit almost $30 billion. 2011 saw an approximate 10% decrease in those global numbers due to the United States federal crackdown, but the numbers have been dramatically rising as professional United States poker players who make a living online have finally settled into their new locales around the world.

And playing online poker for a living certainly does have an incredibly romantic allure, while also offering multiple financial benefits. The ability to play anywhere you can plug in your laptop makes living in a beautiful beach town like Rosarito Beach now accessible to any online poker player. And there is virtually no overhead, no employees to pay, and no huge rent payment to make on a commercial building when you make a living as an online poker professional. While currently states like California are attempting to join Nevada and Delaware in legislating and legalizing online poker, players from California and other states who use online poker to make a living cannot afford to sit around to wait to see if legislation is passed in their favor.

What began as a trickle has rapidly grown into a mini stampede as US poker pros flood Rosarito Beach, Mexico and set up shop. A current Internet gaming bill is making the rounds in the US, sponsored by many top-level senators, and many professional online poker players are crossing their fingers that it gets passed sooner than later. They have expressed the sentiment to live and work in their home country, even if it means paying more taxes and having a higher cost of living. But right now municipalities like Rosarito Beach, Mexico are cashing in on the current influx of online poker playing pros from the US, and benefiting from the accompanying revenue.