France: fine imposed against casino winner

A French citizen was a guest in a casino in Monaco and won around 160,000 Euro. On his return to France, he then had an unpleasant surprise at the customs control. The lucky devil was here issued a fine of 80,000 Euro.

As the French Media reported a few days ago, a casino winner received a penalty of around 80,000 Euro. After his casino visit in Monaco, he had refrained from registering his winnings with the French authorities. At the border control he seems to have been unfortunate, when the customs noticed his high winnings. In 2019 we had already reported about Monte Carlo Casino, one of the most famous casinos in Europe, which is also found in Monaco.

Casino-winning not registered - high fine

The customs in France accused the man that upon his entrance, he had not declared the sum of money of 160,000 as he legally was obliged to do. Therefore a French Court has condemned him to a high fine amounting to 80,000 Euro.

Previously the man from Nizza had travelled to Monaco, which is only around 20 km away. On one evening he won the total sum of 160,000 Euro in different poker and blackjack rounds. However when he returned from the municipality to Nizza, he was inspected at the customs control. However during the inspection the lucky chap did not cooperate and did not behave reasonably. He kept on insisting that he is right. As the newspaper Capital reported, the unemployed Frenchman was in the past known to the police.

Import of large amounts in cash must be reported - even in Germany

Basically gamblers who win whilst gambling must not pay any tax on their winnings. This is the law, both in France, as well as in Germany. A few months ago, we reported for example, whether one could be a professional “job gambler” and what consequences that would have on possible casino winnings.

Those who travel to France must basically register all amounts above 10,000 Euro beforehand and must also explain the origins of the money. This serves to prevent money laundering and other criminal activities among other things. The casino winner from Nizza had unfortunately not done this, so that he was condemned to pay a large fine by the court.

Conclusion

The unemployed Frenchman had travelled to a casino in Monaco to gamble over there. One evening whilst playing Blackjack and Poker, he managed to win a total of 160,000 Euro. However during his return to France he did not register his winnings at the customs as he was legally obliged to do. Since the lucky chap appeared to be unreasonable and did not appear in court, he was condemned to pay a fine amounting to half of his winnings. Now he has only 80,000 Euro left. Recently controls and fines at the border have increased significantly, since they are trying to tackle the increasing problem of money laundering seriously.

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