Playing poker can be an opportunity to help those who are going through a difficult time by promoting positive values.
Helping people in difficult times is a noble cause that brings joy not only to those who receive support, but also to those who are selflessly dedicated to the cause. Fortunately, there are many initiatives to benefit those in need, from personal philanthropy to corporate philanthropy.
The sense of universal brotherhood underlying aid can be expressed in a variety of ways. These range from alms to give a small amount of financial support to a poor person, to more structured initiatives such as regular donations, a way to support a person or organization over time, thus providing a long-term financial resource. Even a few euros a month is enough to change the lives of those who live in third world countries.
In fact, these donations become an indispensable funding tool for public associations and non-governmental organizations that can use them for their activities in favor of those in need. The most important NGOs are present in various countries of the world and can organize relief actions in underdeveloped regions of the world or in any other case where there is a need.
Another very common form of charity in Italy is the donation of taxpayers when paying taxes. In particular, it is possible to allocate a part of taxes, equal to 8, 5 and 2 ppm, to entities operating in various strata of society. 8 ppm of personal income tax can be donated to the state or a religious organization, 5 ppm to a public organization, and 2 ppm can be donated to fund a political party.
In the event of catastrophes or natural disasters, special initiatives are often organized to benefit the affected population. Emergency fundraisers are organized to provide financial support during the phases of the emergency or beyond.
Poker in favor of the population affected by the earthquake
Among the initiatives of this type are also sports matches or tournaments, the proceeds of which are then directed to charitable purposes. From football matches to concerts by the most famous singers, there are many initiatives that are often organized to provide support to those who are going through a difficult moment due to a natural disaster.
When Italy was hit by one of the most powerful and destructive earthquakes in recent history, the L’Aquila earthquake in 2009, so many initiatives of this nature were taken that helped raise millions of euros for the affected population. Among them were charity evenings, football matches such as “Partites of the Heart” and other sports, and even a poker tournament organized to support the people of Abruzzo.
This initiative involved poker champions and celebrities who challenged each other to win €150,000 provided by the organiser. They won obviously not for themselves, but in order to give them to the population that survived the terrible seismic event on April 6, 2009. The match became a real media event, given that it was broadcast by the La7 television company.
Among the professionals at the green table were Dario Minieri, a young Roman poker talent, and Luca Pagano, a professional player and television commentator. But there have been a few big names in the entertainment and sports industry who have been brought together by a passion for poker. In fact, skier Giorgio Rocca, dancer Pamela Camassa, comedian Lillo from the duo Lillo and Greg, and singer Pupo, known for his passion for gambling, sat at the table. Among the VIPs was former football player Francesco Totti (still active at the time), who never hid his love for Texas Hold’em from the early days of his career. As he himself stated, the former “number ten” of the national team played not only in his free time, but also at training camps with teammates to train his mind and relax. Totti has always been very active online. The football player knows who to trust, and it is quite possible that he often plays on the most famous and safe gaming platform on the peninsula. This provider offers highly controlled deposits and withdrawals and was in fact one of the first to receive the AAMS ministerial certification for safe play. This operator, which has been active in the online world for several decades, often offers welcome bonuses to all those who turn to the online gaming world to check out which poker options are the best.
On the sidelines of the event, speaking of a confrontation with professionals he met at a charity tournament, Totti stated: “You can even give them a little trouble, but at the end of the day, it’s the experience that counts, the way you play. And as professionals, I think they have something extra.”
Actor and comedian Lillo, born Pasquale Petrolo, added with characteristic sympathy: “When it comes to these types of jackpots donated to charities, it’s also good to play with glasses… you win, you lose. , “it’s important that the figure goes there.”
The Importance of Promoting Positive Values
The charity tournament, in addition to the important amount raised for the victims of the earthquake, was an opportunity to convey positive values such as closeness to those in need and selfless action. The media coverage of this event helped break down the prejudices that often affect poker and the game in general.
Today, years after that tournament, such events are held infrequently. It appears that, despite the benefits and positive impact of such initiatives, nothing is currently being done to promote and stimulate them.
A role model is certainly poker champion Dario Sammartino, who created a non-profit organization called Equilibrium, whose goal is to raise funds to support initiatives and fund projects of interest to the community. The wonderful project of the Neapolitan champion has already received the support of other protagonists of Italian poker, such as Marcello Marigliano and Luigi Serricchio, who are co-founders of the project.
In 2020, the non-profit organization Sammartino raised more than 100,000 euros by donating it to the Domenico Cotugno hospital in Naples to create new intensive care beds to deal with the Covid-19 emergency, which was at its peak at the time. , its distribution.
But this is only the first step: the goal is to raise much more, up to 500,000 euros, to create even more places, given that each individual intensive care unit can cost up to 30,000 euros. In addition, charitable crowdfunding is just one of the activities of a non-profit organization whose goal is to become a true community of people who collaborate and exchange ideas through charitable initiatives.
In the US, charity poker is already a reality.
As is often the case, if we look at the United States, we see that they are ahead of Italy, and poker is often associated with solidarity projects. These are tournaments or single matches featuring green table professionals as well as numerous VIPs and athletes from other disciplines.
For example, in 2020 an online game was played featuring some of Hollywood’s most important actors such as Ben Affleck, Tobey Maguire, Matt Damon, Adam Sandler and Bryan Cranston, as well as athletes such as Tom Brady and musical figures such as like Adam Levine and Kevin Smith. The initiative, which involved more than 75 people, raised funds that were donated to Feeding America, which operates a network of food banks that feeds more than 37 million people.
Also of note is the Charity Series of Poker, a non-profit association founded by professional poker player Matt Stout that organizes and promotes poker tournaments for charitable purposes, raising funds for charities and solidarity projects.
In a world where inclusion is increasingly important, humanitarian initiatives are welcome. Therefore, we hope that more and more poker projects will spread in Italy, which will allow you to help those who are in a difficult situation.
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