During times when casinos and poker rooms are closed down and players are staying at home to prevent the further spread of the virus, online gaming operators excel in their efforts and creative ways to channel players to their offerings and utilize the hidden potential.
Play Poker, Donate to the NHS
Partypoker has come up with a brilliant idea by introducing a special tournament, to help support the effort of the NHS during these tough times. The UK NHS Charity Tournament scheduled for Thursday, April 16, gives any player a chance to participate into a humane act of donation to combat the virus and the people affected.
The tournament starts at 20:30 BST, has a Buy-in of £50 and is rake-free. During the first 12 rounds of 6 minutes each, a late registration is possible and re-entries for players that have lost their chips are unlimited. The starting stack is 50,000 chips.
Tournament Donation Matched by Partypoker
Partypoker will take away 50% of the prize pool once the late registry period is over and will match it 100% before donating it to NHS Charities Together, a membership organization representing, supporting and championing NHS Charities. The rest of the prize pool will be distributed as per the standard tournament prize distribution by Partypoker.
“We are delighted to play our part in helping the poker community support the NHS and contribute to the national effort in combating COVID-19. Poker players have a long and proud history of coming together to support charitable causes. At this moment, that support has never been more needed.”
Tom Waters, Managing Director, Partypoker
NHS Charities is a pool of 250 NHS charities across the UK most of which have the sole purpose of helping hospitals provide better care and achieve a higher level of service. Collectively, these charities donate £1 million per day. In addition, NHS charities fund major capital projects, pioneering research and supplying medical equipment for hospitals.
Coronavirus Impact
Partypoker is a poker brand operated by GVC Holdings, an Isle of Man-based gaming operator with significant presence in the UK through the Ladbrokes brand. In March, much like its competitors William Hill and Flutter Entertainment, the company issued an investor update, warning that up to £150 million of EBITDA could be wiped out by the closure of its retail units, as well as from the suspension in major sporting events around the globe.