 Days after winning the World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions against the top players in the business, Mike Sexton has proved to be a champ with a heart, providing irrefutable evidence that he deserves his affectionate nickname "The Ambassador of Poker".
Sexton has just announced that he is to donate half of his Tournament of Champions prize purse - that’s a stunning $500 000 - to five charities.
A long-time supporter of donating to charity, Sexton has selected the Special Olympics, The Buoniconti Fund to help cure paralysis, the Paralyzed Veterans of America, the Wounded Warrior Project that helps families of those wounded or killed in battle, and Children Incorporated, the charity of choice for Barry Greenstein that provides food and school supplies for underprivileged children around the world.
Poker pro Greenstein is renowned for his large contributions to the needy, and with characteristic modesty Sexton praised him whilst making his own announcement, saying: "Barry is a pioneer. Poker can do good things for underprivileged people."
Sexton’s generous donation sets an example in his initiative to persuade poker pros and businesses to donate large amounts to charity because of the benefits that it could bring to both the poker community and the world. In previous interviews, he has noted: "The most ardent adversaries of poker could not be against poker if we were to start donating huge bucks to worthwhile charities. And why not? It’s the right thing to do."
Modeling his idea after the PGA tour and its huge prize pools, he has suggested that every major poker tournament could pledge to donate a percentage of the money to charity. Doing so would encourage corporations to add into the prize pool, since part of their backing would go to charity as well. "The PGA model is perfect," Sexton opines. "The poker industry would do well to learn from this tried-and-true business model."
"My next goal in life is to lead this change, because there are many worthwhile charities, and it’s a win-win situation for all. The time is here for this to happen." |
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Major charity donation from WSOP champ
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