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Almost everyone is looking to some form of gambling to fund its operations. In the US every state is in the midst of some type of negotiations with laws that would bring gambling revenues to the states’ budget funds. Charity organizations are also in on the funds that gambling brings. Many charities have used “casino nights” as a means of bringing in money. Whether the nights are weekly, monthly or seasonal, charities are well aware of how lucrative they can be. Some charities have used “casino nights” for years to fund their programs and expansion plans.

Today’s market is difficult, however and even charities are having difficult times managing. Just like other organizations, charities are having difficult times bringing in funds. There have been some activities that have worked against charities. Legislators are in the midst of changing gambling laws almost on a month-to-month basis and charities are getting caught up in the mix. Some states have adopted smoking laws that ban smoking inside of public places. This is causing charities to suffer because they are losing patrons due to the new restriction. Another law that is hurting charities is the opened door for casino expansion. While people looked forward to visiting church basements and VFW Halls to gamble, now there are much more sophisticated land-based casinos available. The competition for gambling is proving to be difficult for charities. They can’t compete with top-notch, million-dollar give-a-way casinos.

There is no viable answer for casinos in today’s market. Although many people want to keep gambling alive as a means of funding charity events and charities, the truth is that there is too much competition in the market. In particular with the crops of new casinos on the way and the surge of online gambling, charity gambling could see a true decline in popularity. It is unfortunate how charities may have lost their former funding options with the move to legalize and regulate gmabling. States are making strong moves to bring gambing into the mix so they can collect millions of dollars in gambling tax revenues. Charities may be at a permanent loss in finding funding in the future.

With the holiday season upon us, online casinos are working hard to focus on charities and organizations that need funding. It’s a great way to blend your love of playing online gambling games and wanting to do good for the community.  CostaBingo.com has just announced that it will be donating one pound to the BBC’s Children In Need charity for every player who wins on its special “Pudsey Card” game.

The game is a specially designed Pudsey-shaped 75-ball online bingo pattern that is set to help raise money for children in need.  The charity is over 80 years old and has worked throughout the years to help support programs and events that “make a real and tangible difference in the lives of disadvantaged children.” The organization gets its funding solely from outside sources are it is always looking for new innovative ways of bringing in added dollars for operations. This marriage between the organization and CostaBingo.com is a great one because not only does it offer online gamblers a great game, but they can contribute effortlessly to the wellbeing of children in need while playing.

Debbie Gent, Operations Director for CostaBingo.com said, “Our bingo cards offer many different winning patterns but we hope our players will put superstition to one side and play Pudsey. It costs them nothing extra to play the charity card and if they win Children In Need get one pound. We all think it’s a no brainer and hope to raise lots of money for Children In Need.”
The 2009 Children In Need Appeal began last week but players can take part on the special Pudsey-shaped card at CostaBingo.com anytime. “Every year, we are both humbled and inspired by the extraordinary lengths our supporters go to raise money and we hope this year is no exception,” said David Ramsden, Chief Executive Officer for BBC Children In Need. “This is why we are asking for your support again in 2009.”

If you are an online gamer and want to do some good, take a chance at the CostaBingo.com Pudsey-game. It is a fun game that is the best of bingo. You should have fun enjoying the game while doing something for the children of the world who are in need.

Erica Schoenberg is an American professional blackjack and poker player. She has competed in the World Series of Blackjack and placed 16^th in the World Poker tour $25,000 Championship. She also was third in the 2007 WSOP $1,500 no-limit Hold’em.  She currently has a sponsorship agreement with Full Tilt Poker. Schoenberg just announced that she will be playing in a special online charity tournament at FullTiltPoker.com as part of the Online Forum Challenge’s Third Annual World Series of Online Forums. The Online Forum Challenge’s Wolf Mountain Sanctuary Charity Tournament has a buy-in of $11 and will begin at FullTiltPoker.com on December 5 from three o’clock in the afternoon New York time.

This special tournament is set to raise money and awareness for the Wolf Mountain Sanctuary, which is a non-profit animal rescue organization. It specifically works with animals that are considered to be “wild” and works with them to preserve their natural habitat and conditioning. This tournament will award the winner with a Mexican Riviera poker cruise courtesy of CardPlayerCruises.com.
On top of the win, top players can also leave with great gift certificate prizes from All in Clothing Company and FullTiltPoker.com.  The player who manages to oust Schoenberg herself will walk away with a one year-long Online Premium Membership to the Poker Players Alliance. Jason “Wolf” Rosenberg, President and Owner of Online Forum Challenge Global Gaming Events, said, “We are grateful to be working with the entire FullTiltPoker.com team, CardPlayerCruises.com and the All In Clothing Company. They have all been so supportive in our efforts to bring attention to this very special cause. I have been a volunteer at Wolf Mountain Sanctuary for ten years now and this cause is very dear to my heart. We wish to thank everyone in advance for participating in this event.”

The event is just one of many that FullTiltPoker.com is sponsoring this upcoming year. The website has created a long-term package of events and promotions for any player to participate in. The goal is to not only bring players to the website, but also to help various charity events and organizations with raising awareness and funds for operations.

Costa Bingo has decided to create a program to help children in need. The online casino created the “Pudsey card.” This is a special online bingo symbol will be used to raise money for the BBC’s Children In Need Appeal. For every Pudsey card purchased, Costa Bingo will donate £1 to the non-profit organization.  The casino will also donate £1 to Children in Need for every player who wins a 75-ball game on the Pudsey pattern.  Costa Bingo’s Operations Director Debbie Gent stated, “Our bingo cards offer many different winning patterns but we hope our players will put superstition to one side and play Pudsey.” She added, “It costs them nothing extra to play the charity card and – if they win – Children in Need get £1. We all think it’s a no brainer and hope to raise lots of money for Children in Need.”

Costa Bingo is jumping on the charity bandwagon many other online casinos are working with. Part of their purpose is to create a new respect for the business of casino gaming.  Industry Analyst Heidi Coleman stated, “Casino operators recognize that they need to do some public relations work. Especially with the move to legalize much of their business, they need to bulk up their public persona so that when that door is opened, they’ll be in good public positions to move in on the new market.” Many casinos are seeing the charity aspect as an important one, not only for public persona but also for basic philanthropic reasons. Coleman added, “These companies are run by good people who also just want to make a difference. There may be no ulterior motive, but it’s nice to build your company’s name while you help the community.”

David Ramsden, CEO of BBC Children in Need, says: “Every year we are both humbled and inspired by the extraordinary lengths our supporters go to raise money, and we hope this year is no exception. This is why we are asking for your support again in 2009.”  The BBC Children in Need Appeal began in 1980 and has raised over £25 million in funds for disadvantaged children.  The program will close off with a star-studded event on BBC One TV on November 20^th.

Professional poker players are typecast. They can be thought of as underground money-hungry cut-throat villains. In reality though, a lot of poke players are nice people—just like your average Joe and Jane down the street. With the growing acceptance of poker play in the mainstream, it’s becoming apparent that poker players come from all walks of life. There are some who are retired mechanics and some who are college kids straight out of school. Poker players are as diverse as the games you find available online to play.

In a testament to the true heart of a poker player, there are three big tournaments out there. Each one is a charity event that supports some needy cause. Here is a breakdown of each one:

1)    All In For a Cure- Poker Pledge Program by Poker Players International.  This one is a charitable event that helps fund funding a cure for certain types of kidney diseases. Proceeds will be going to the Nephrotic Syndrome and Focal Segmental Glomerulsclerosis, or FSGS. Players, both professional and amateur, are encouraged to join this program and pledge 1% of their winnings to go towards this cause. It’s a pain-free way to not only play, but play for a great cause.  Well know professional players are joining in on the fun. Lee Childs, Jason Young and Frank Vizza are all going to be participating and raising money and awareness for the cause.

2)    Annie Duke Celebrity Poker Tournament. This is a charity tournament that is happening on November 19^th and it supports the Decision Education Foundation. It’s sponsored by Club WPT and will be a No Limit Hold ‘Em Tournament with $300 +$30 entrance fees and $100 rebuys. This tournament will have prize pools around $45,000. Annie Duke of course is a former WSOP bracelet winner and has made a career of poker play as a woman in a boys’ club.

3)    The Bad Beat on Cancer Challenge. This event is being sponsored by Poker News. All proceeds are going to cancer prevention and the event is in honor of professional poker player Nicole Rowe who recently went through an operation to treat her breast cancer. This event is going to happen at the Poker Stars website on November 12th. The buy-in for this event is just $10 with $10 rebuys, so all players can join in on the action. This event is geared more towards amateur Poker players, since prizes valued at over $24,000 will also include coaching sessions from America’s most renowned pros. It’s a great way to get in on the action if you are not yet a professional-level player.

These are just three examples of the fun you can have while playing for charity and raising money. Check back frequently to see what other events are being held that focus on helping others.

If you are a fan of poker you have likely heard of Annie Duke.  She is a professional poker player and author who walked away with a bracelet at the 2004 World Series of Poker $2,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better event and was the Winner-Take-All prize winner for the 2004 World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions.  Duke originally began working in legal card rooms in Billings, Montana. Her love of the game started early and she soon was winning games and tournaments.

As a grand salute to Annie Duke the online subscription poker site ClubWPT.com has announced that it will sponsor the upcoming $330 buy-in Annie Duke Celebrity Poker Night charity event on November 19.  In celebration the website is giving two lucky players a chance to win their seat on November 13^th at 10pm New York time.  The Annie Duke Celebrity Poker Night will take place at the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles and it will benefit The Decision Education Foundation. The top prize featured is a seat to the 2010 World Poker Tour Celebrity Invitational tournament on February 20^th and 21^st.  This is a huge deal to any poker player because of the notoriety and high-profile of the WPTC.  It’s a great event that is watched worldwide and brings in many main stream sponsors and deals to the industry. On top of the buzz, the top ten finishers at the land-based event will receive prizes courtesy the World Series of Poker Academy, Rockwell Time, Crown Royal, Commerce Casino, Team UltimateBet, Cartwright Entertainment, AMA Supercross Anaheim and Hardcore Elegance.

On top of it all there still will be additional prizes awarded. One will go to the ‘last woman standing’ and ‘out on the bubble’ alongside the competitor with ‘cracked aces’. There will be bounty prizes for players who manage to eliminate selected poker professionals and celebrities. And one lucky winner will even receive a complimentary annual membership to ClubWPT.com, which awards over $100,000 in cash and prizes each month.  Overall this is a great tournament to shoot for. Annie Duke is generous and the proceeds are donated to charity. There are numerous ways to get into the tournament so try your luck and see how far you can get!