World Poker Tour Launch Charitable Foundation

The World Poker Tour has launched a charitable organisation, the WPT Foundation, to “influence positive change in the world”.

Dealing with such issues as human rights, genocide and starvation, the foundation's charitable partners will include Enough Project, Conservation International and World Central Kitchen.

Money will be raised by organising a series of poker tournaments called 'WTP Playing for a Better World'. The tournaments will see poker pros and celebrities playing together to raise money for charitable causes.

The first event will begin on March 11th at the SLS Beverly Hills Hotel. Tickets and Raffle tickets are on sale at $500 and around $100 respectively at the charities website wptfoundation.org. Raffle prizes include private poker lessons with a top pro, tickets to a WPT cruise, a helicopter tour of Los Angeles, and going to an NFL game alongside the Fox Sports film crew.

WPT has also promised to add an initial $100 000 to the foundation to give it a boost.

“World Poker Tour has always been dedicated to supporting charitable causes, but by establishing WPT Foundation we are making a deep, lasting commitment to philanthropy the likes of which the poker world has not seen before.” said WPT CEO Steve Heller