Charles Barkley will play in the “Ante Up for Africa”
In spite of pledging not to gamble, the NBA player Charles Barkley has confirmed his assistance to a poker tournament, claiming that it is for charity purposes only. He has been scheduled to play in the celebrity poker tournament at the 2008 World Series of Poker that is to be held on the 2nd of July.
The event, called “Ante Up for Africa” has been developed in order to raise money and consciousness of the crisis that exists in Darfur, a region of Sudan. Since a racial war began in the year 2003, more than 2.5 million people have been displaced and over 300,000 have died due to this dilemma.
Players can place up to $5,000 to play, but they have to donate at least half of their winnings. Last year alone, the poker tournament raised over $500,000 and ended up with the two best players agreeing to donate their entire winnings of $350,000 to the noble cause.
Sal Petruzzi, a TNT spokesman said that Mr. Barkley has been asked to donate the total of his winnings to one of the two designated charities. Supposedly, he was not going to gamble for a couple of years since he was sued by a casino for refusing to pay a $400,000 debt. Luckily, he managed to pay off his debt but also had to cash in an extra $40,000 to pay his attorney.
In spite of pledging not to gamble, the NBA player Charles Barkley has confirmed his assistance to a poker tournament, claiming that it is for charity purposes only. He has been scheduled to play in the celebrity poker tournament at the 2008 World Series of Poker that is to be held on the 2nd of July.