The World Series of Poker (WSOP) and Caesars Entertainment Corporation organized the Big One for One Drop, a live poker tournament with the largest buy-in in the world, along with an 8-week awareness campaign.
The two events helped raise $5.6 million in cash and donations worth $3 million in kind for One Drop, a global organization that aims at providing safe water for all.
This is the largest donation ever received by One Drop in one fiscal year ever since the charity was launched.
One Drop intends to use this donation to fund its water projects in places such as Honduras, El Salvador, and Burkina Faso, aiming to provide safe water for the present as well as future generations. In the five years to come, One Drop will make major positive changes in the lives of more than 77,000 people by providing them water filters, constructing rest rooms and washing stations, building gardens, and sinking new wells.
One Drop Chairperson Guy Laliberte said,
It was such a thrill for ONE DROP to be part of the most significant charity initiative in poker history during the biggest poker tournament ever The Big One for ONE DROP. We are truly thankful for the effort expended before and during the tournament, from selling reusable water bottles in aid of ONE DROP, to installing water fountains on site. WSOP showed true commitment while inviting players and fans to join in support of ONE DROP and its water-access projects and the players displayed their on-going generosity.
This very first edition of the Big One for One Drop poker tournament had a player field of 48 players, who played for their share of over $42 million for 3 days. WSOP donated $111,111 for every $1 million collected in entry fees in addition to donations from spectators and players. Mitch Garber, CEO for Caesars Interactive Entertainment, and Antonio Esfandiari, winner of the first Big One for One Drop event, donated an extra $111,111 each. That year, the WSOP raised $5.6 in total for this charity.
Garber said,
It was an incredible event for a great cause, and we’re thrilled that the end result of our efforts will have long-lasting positive effects. What started as an outlandish concept turned out to be one of the most successful charitable endeavors our company has ever been a part of and we are content that ONE DROP will use these funds to change people’s lives meaningfully.
