Lauri Saaskilahti will play in the Bahamas despite Finnish taxes
Saaskilahti will play in the Bahamas despite Finnish taxes
Lauri Saaskilahti, who finished runner-up in the 2026 WSOP Main Event and took home $6,000,000, is changing his life for good.
Finland's top forestry executive, who managed half a billion dollars in sales, has announced plans to leave the business world in search of new challenges and confirmed his participation in the upcoming $250,000 Super High Roller Pro/Am tournament at the WSOP Paradise series.
However, the trip to the Bahamas has a serious tax trap in store for the newly minted millionaire. The thing is, the Bahamas lie outside the European Economic Area, which means Saaskilahti's winnings will be subject to a progressive tax of up to 50% back home.
What's more, Finnish law prohibits deducting the buy-in cost from prize money in the case of one-off trips. If Lauri puts up $250,000 and min-cashes (for example, taking $350,000), the tax authorities will calculate the tax on the full $350,000, not on the net profit of $100,000.
Despite the financial risks, Saaskilahti has no intention of skipping the tournament:
Lauri Saaskilahti, who finished runner-up in the 2026 WSOP Main Event and took home $6,000,000, is changing his life for good.
Finland's top forestry executive, who managed half a billion dollars in sales, has announced plans to leave the business world in search of new challenges and confirmed his participation in the upcoming $250,000 Super High Roller Pro/Am tournament at the WSOP Paradise series.
However, the trip to the Bahamas has a serious tax trap in store for the newly minted millionaire. The thing is, the Bahamas lie outside the European Economic Area, which means Saaskilahti's winnings will be subject to a progressive tax of up to 50% back home.
What's more, Finnish law prohibits deducting the buy-in cost from prize money in the case of one-off trips. If Lauri puts up $250,000 and min-cashes (for example, taking $350,000), the tax authorities will calculate the tax on the full $350,000, not on the net profit of $100,000.
Despite the financial risks, Saaskilahti has no intention of skipping the tournament:
I want to change my life; I've already learned everything there is to learn in employment. I'm really looking forward to the trip to the Bahamas. The $250k tournament is a great challenge, and hopefully this time I'll go all the way📰 Subscribe to Pokerflow
