The One Drop Foundation and the World Poker Tour (WPT) announced a partnership agreement to collaborate on charitable initiatives within the poker community.
Both organizations have a strong commitment to philanthropy. One Drop, founded by a former high level poker player Guy Lalibertewho also founded Cirque du Soleil, is a non-profit organization that provides the underprivileged around the world with access to clean water.
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One Drop Poker Connection
The Canadian-based organization has long promoted its initiatives through poker, and the poker community has gone out of its way to help raise money for good causes. In the years 2012, 2014 and 2018, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) hosted the first $1 million buy-in Big One for One Drop events in Las Vegas. A portion of each acquisition went to help people around the world have access to clean water, a cause Laliberte and the new CEO Jean-Louis Dufresnehe is passionate
Since 2012, the WSOP has also hosted annual low-cost charity One Drop bracelet events ranging from $1,111 to $111,111. The WPT and One Drop have together raised more than $70 million for various global causes over the years. Laliberte set a goal of donating $100 million (CAD) to the organization over 25 years when he started the nonprofit in 2007.
“WPT has always been committed to giving back to people in need both locally and globally,” said WPT CEO Adam Pliska. “Through the World Poker Tour Foundation™, we’ve used our standing in the poker community to raise millions of dollars in funding for nonprofit organizations, and we’re eager to continue that charitable thread by joining forces with the ‘amazing One Drop Foundation.”
The WPT also has an extensive history of raising money for worthwhile causes. Over the past decade, the World Poker Tour Foundation has raised more than $45 million for more than three dozen charities, including the NASCAR Foundation, Special Olympics and Conservation International.
“The One Drop Foundation has raised more than $25 million through poker events over the past decade,” he said Alexandre Meunier, director of marketing and events at the One Drop Foundation. “Now we look forward to the next milestone in our mission to improve access to safe water and living conditions for millions of people around the world. We are confident that the World Poker Tour is the ideal partner to help us to achieve this goal, hand in hand with the global poker community.”
The partnership, according to a press release, will include major events hosted by WPT casino partners around the world. More details will be released in the near future.
