Thailand? Mexico? Not this time. We’ve picked five countries where online poker is completely legal and English is the official language (or second most popular).
Ireland
Ireland is a Green Island. Why do the Irish love gambling? Ireland has a rich gambling history. Gambling is deeply embedded in the culture of the country and the people. Online poker is completely legal and tax free. Only online poker rooms are taxed.
If you fancy a change of scenery and a bit of live action, you’ll find it here too. Ireland is also home to many poker series such as EPT Dublin and the Irish Poker Open plus many smaller tournaments.
The country is well known for its pubs, live folk music and Guinness beer. The only thing you probably won’t like is the bad weather. But after all, you’re an online grinder, so cold, rainy evenings are the best thing that can happen for the volume of your game.
Malta
First on our list is a country with a warm climate and second with a rich schedule of offline competitions.
Malta is a small island (very small: 27km long and 14km wide) in the Mediterranean Sea, located 100km south of Italy. Malta is an old British protectorate, so English is the official language.
Malta has very liberal gambling laws. For this reason many poker rooms have their main offices in this country. Poker can be played completely legally. Income tax for poker players is also low and varies from 15% to 35%.
Malta is a relatively inexpensive country for tourism so there is no need to play high limit games to stay there.
Australia 
Ah, the land of Beethoven, Mozart and the beautiful Alps. Oh wait, we’re not in Europe anymore.
We’re in Australia — the third and final “island” in our review. It’s a little bigger than Malta. Actually, it’s a continent.
Formerly a British colony, Australia’s culture is a lot like Ireland and Malta. Like Ireland, you don’t have to worry about taxes here if you play online poker. Internet gambling is not taxed. But the cost of living is high and so Australia is better suited to players of relatively high limits.
Live poker fans will find a table to suit their taste at the Crown Casino in Melbourne. This is a very large casino with over 50 tables in the poker room alone and very high stakes and budget stakes play every day. And once a year it hosts the famous Aussie Millions tournament.
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Costa Rica
For the next few thousand kilometers we travel east. Costa Rica is a Mesoamerican country that tourists love to visit.
Unfortunately, English is not the official language here. It is a Spanish-speaking country, but English is spoken by a very large proportion of the population. In tourist areas English is not uncommon.
These small disadvantages are more than compensated for by the many advantages. First of all, online gambling is perfectly legal. The people are friendly and the climate is terrific. Many people like to spend their holidays here, so the entertainment infrastructure is well developed. By the way, did we mention that living here is pretty cheap? Especially in the suburban areas.
Canada
Finally, online MTT players will feel great here. Their working hours will be much better than in Europe.
There are a lot of pros living in Canada, especially American pros. Firstly, and this is not a stereotype: Canadians are very friendly and warm to newcomers. Secondly, Canada has a fantastic infrastructure. Thirdly, it’s a very good place to live, especially for those looking to play offline in the US. Like Costa Rica, Canada is well suited to online tournament players.
Gambling winnings in Canada are not taxed unless it is your main source of income. Federal taxes start at 15% and are capped at 33%. Regional taxes, which can range from 5% to 20%, must also be considered. Living in Canada is not that expensive unless it is a big city.
Cambodia
Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in the world; it is one of the 50 Least Developed Countries and more than 80% of its population live below the poverty line. The standard income for most Khmer people is $2 a day and the prices of basic necessities are comparable to other Asian countries. Ironically, this is what prompted the opening of several world-class casinos in Cambodia — no other way to attract foreign investment, as the country has neither natural resources nor any developed industry.
Unfortunately, there is no control over this investment and, just as in the case of India, most of the casino profits do not go into the state treasury, but into the pockets of casino owners — which is why in 2009 Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered the closure of all casinos in the country.
As is often the case in such cases, some of the institutions indeed were closed, but another part remained and flourished: a player may visit the Naga Casino for example — the guest may stay in a comfortable four-star hotel, where room rates are comparatively low, and play for fun until the money runs out. And even if they do run out of money, Cambodia is not England, and here you can borrow money gladly, though sometimes with higher interest rates.
India
Today India ranks ninth in the world in gambling revenues; it has over 200 casinos offering all types of gambling, although only horse racing and lottery are officially allowed in the country. However, a big casino opened in 2001 in Goa, the most popular tourist destination: the Royale, based on the liner Caravelle, is as big as any of the world-famous venues, both in terms of service and money involved.
The Indian government believes that gambling is a progressive industry that has the potential to become a major contributor to the country’s budget. Despite the government’s conservatism and the mentality that until recently made the establishment of such establishments in the country seem impossible, chances are that India will soon boast a plethora of gaming houses. The only problem is that the legislation in India is not yet perfect — most of the money from existing Top10bestcasinos goes into the pockets of foreign investors, an issue that has yet to be resolved.