£221,000 raised for the children’s charity since June

Onchan, Isle Of Man (ots/PRNewswire) – Players competing in a special online charity tournament have raised more than $56,000 for PokerStars‘ long-time charity partner Right To Play.

The $55 buy-in tournament formed part of PokerStars‘ highly popular World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) series. More than 11,000 players met at the online felt to have some fun and compete for their share of the prize pool, with 100% of the fees donated by PokerStars to the global children’s charity.

Right To Play uses sport and play to empower vulnerable children across Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The charity has pioneered a unique play-based approach to learning and development with programmes that protect, educate and empower children, and help to shield them from the harsh realities of war and abuse.

PokerStars, the flagship poker brand of The Stars Group, first partnered with Right To Play in 2014 through its corporate giving programme Helping Hands. Since then, players and staff have helped raise more than £1.7 million.

In April, Helping Hands and Right To Play announced the creation of a limited-edition hoodie, available to buy at the Stars Store, to honour the inspiration for Right To Play. One hundred percent of the profits from all sales of the hoodie will be donated to the charity. In June, The Stars Group announced its intention to raise £1 million across an extended two-year partnership with Right to Play. This latest fundraiser brings the total raised since the announcement to £220,000.

„We’re delighted with the amount we raised on Sunday and want to say thanks to the 11,000 players who participated,“ said Sue Hammett, Head of Corporate Giving at The Stars Group. „The vital funds raised will continue to make such a positive impact to so many children around the world. We’re thrilled that the donation is helping their vital efforts. Thank you to every player who took part and to everyone helping us to reach our target.“

„On behalf of us all here at Right To Play, I want to say a huge thank you to PokerStars for hosting the charity tournament at the WCOOP event and to all the players who took part,“ said Neil Child-Dyer, Senior Partnerships Manager at Right To Play UK. „We are extremely grateful for your support. $56,000 raised is an amazing amount which will make a huge difference to our work to educate, empower and protect vulnerable children in our programmes.“

About PokerStars

PokerStars operates the world’s most popular online poker sites, serving the global poker community. Since it launched in 2001, PokerStars has become the first choice of players all over the world, with more daily tournaments than anywhere else and with the best online security. More than 200 billion hands have been dealt on PokerStars, which is more than any other site.

The Stars Group owns or licenses gaming and related consumer businesses and brands, including PokerStars, PokerStars Casino, BetStars, Full Tilt, FOX Bet, Sky Bet, Sky Vegas, Sky Casino, Sky Bingo, Sky Poker and BetEasy as well as live poker tour and event brands, including the PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship, European Poker Tour, PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, Latin American Poker Tour, Asia Pacific Poker Tour, PokerStars Festival and PokerStars MEGASTACK. The Stars Group is one of the world’s most licensed online gaming operators with its subsidiaries collectively holding licenses or approvals in 21 jurisdictions throughout the world, including in Europe, Australia, and the Americas.

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About Right To Play

Right To Play is a global charity that uses sport and play to improve the lives of vulnerable children in some of the world’s poorest communities. Each child deserves the chance to succeed and thrive in life but every day millions of children are challenged by poverty, war, disease and poor education. These challenges put their futures at risk and rob them of their potential. Right To Play gives them back that chance. Using sport and play we make education accessible and fun, teaching children critical life skills, how to resolve conflicts without violence and how to avoid disease.

Right To Play trains local volunteers and teachers as Right To Play ‚coaches‘ to deliver critical education programmes in their communities. This way over 14,900 coaches can reach almost two million children every week in 16 countries across Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

Right To Play strives to educate, empower and protect children living in disadvantaged communities.

Right To Play believes in a future for every child driven by opportunity, empowerment and possibility.

To find out more: www.righttoplay.org.uk

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