Much has been said about the ills of gambling and the negative impact it is supposed to have on society at large. Yet, there will be many who disagree as they consider gambling a positive influence on society. One of the reasons for this is the large donations that are raised via gambling tournaments that provide much needed funds to charities.
The World Series of Poker is one of the biggest events on the gambling calendar and came to a close recently at the Rio in Las Vegas. Over $197 million in prize money along with a number of prestigious WSOP gold bracelets were given away to the winners.
However, it was not only the winners who benefited but also ONE DROP, a charity that focuses on providing clean water to people across the globe.
The WSOP and ONE DROP have formed an alliance over the last two years and a total of $7 million has been donated so far. From the WSOP tournament this year, $1.3 million was raised and ONE DROP will use these funds to help over 13,000 people spread across Asia, Latin America and West Africa to get clean water.
You can donate at least 1% of your winnings here allinforonedrop.com
In a statement, Caesars Interactive Entertainment’s chief executive officer Mitch Garber said
We continue to be extremely proud of the poker community’s generosity and enthusiasm. The marriage of prestigious events and philanthropy has generated nearly seven million dollars in WSOP donations to ONE DROP in less than two years – a remarkable achievement.
This strategic alliance between the WSOP and ONE DROP began in 2012 when Guy Laliberté, Cirque du Soleil founder and ONE DROP chairman and Caesars Interactive Entertainment, Inc., CEO Mitch Garber came up with the idea to have a crazy $1 million buy-in poker tournament. There were many who criticized the idea saying it will be a flop and would not be able to fill out one full table of players. However, it proved to be a massive success and in the end the 48-player capped event was sold out resulting in $5.6 million dollars being raised for ONE DROP.
Guy Laliberté said
Again, we have created history! I am thankful to WSOP for their dedication and to the poker community for their generosity. The real winners are the people for which ONE DROP will provide access to safe water. These families can break the cycle of poverty and have hope for a better future. Together we have shown the world once again how giving the poker community is and that the ripple effect continues on.
