World Poker Tour & Latitude Raise $1.7 Million at Charity Poker Event
On Friday, Feb. 2, the World Poker Tour partnered with Latitude to host the first-ever NVRFLD charity poker event in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The event was a booming success, raising $1.7 million for a number of global charities including MATTER, Healing Haiti, Starkey Hearing Foundation, and Opportunity International.
These philanthropic organizations will use the proceeds from the event to provide aid in many forms, from sustainable food options to health care access, both in Minnesota and around the world. Beyond Minnesota, their reach extends primarily to the countries of Haiti, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Liberia, Uganda, Senegal and Tanzania.
Celebrity poker players Tony Dunst, Lynn Gilmartin, Jonathan Little and Anna Khait attended the event. Khait made it to the final two, but she lost heads up against Jon Aguiar, a former pro poker player with over $1.6 million in cashes who now works for DraftKings. Also in attendance were MLB player Justin Morneau, NBA players Gorgui Dieng and Cole Aldrich, and Cory Cove, KFAN morning radio host.
Everyone’s focus, however, was on the event’s mission to elevate the world through the channel of poker.
“Poker continues to be a leading way to raise money for critical issues around the world, as seen by the more than $1.7 million raised in the first WPT Foundation Presents NVRFLD charity poker tournament,” said Adam Pliska, CEO of the World Poker Tour. “WPT Foundation is honored to have partnered with Latitude to help raise awareness and funds for incredible organizations in MATTER, Healing Haiti, Starkey Hearing Foundation, and Opportunity International. WPT Foundation has now raised more than $11 million to benefit nearly 30 global philanthropic organizations, and we look forward to continuing to use our platform to elevate the world.”
Jeremy Carroll, President of Latitude, attributed much of the success of the event to the complementary strengths of the two organizations that teamed up for charity.
“By combining Latitude’s talent for designing experiences and WPT Foundation’s leadership in tournament poker, we were able to create an incredible poker event to benefit several non-profits that hit close to my heart,” Carroll said. “NVRFLD will continue to unlock generosity and bring the community together to elevate humanity.”
Photos courtesy of Latitude
