29 March 2017
ISLE OF MAN – During what was a busy three-days for Microgaming at ICE Totally Gaming 2017, the MPN team enjoyed a charity poker tournament with Microgaming operators on Tuesday 7 February.
The tournament was held on the Sunborn London, a luxurious super yacht hotel moored adjacent to the ExCeL Centre, and exclusive to Microgaming throughout the exhibition. Over 80 guests and staff competed for the win and those who were unlucky at the tables and busted out early still enjoyed gin tasting and the night’s entertainment.
Battling for over three hours, the eventual winner of the Main Event was Alon from Crazy Vegas. He chose Teenage Cancer Trust as the recipient of the winning prize: a £3,000 donation. The charity supports young people diagnosed with cancer, providing life-changing care and support so that patients do not have to face the illness alone.
Sabina Ruta, Regional Fundraiser for Teenage Cancer Trust, comments: “Thank you so much to Microgaming and the MPN team for continuing to support Teenage Cancer Trust; we are delighted to receive £3,000 from one of their most recent events. Every penny donated will help us to support teenagers and young adults facing a diagnosis of cancer.”
Coming in second place was Sean Auret from Lucky247 who picked Save the Rhino as the recipient of a £2,000 donation. Third place, Jean-Christophe Antoine from Betsson, also chose Save the Rhino, receiving a further £1,000 donation from Microgaming.One of the recipients of Microgaming’s annual Gift of Giving initiative for two years running, Save the Rhino are recognised for the terrific work they do to support endangered rhinos in Africa and Asia.
“We are absolutely thrilled to receive a fantastic £3,000 following Microgaming’s MPN Charity Poker Tournament, to help us protect endangered rhinos across Africa and Asia,”says Josephine Gibson, Partnership Development Manager at Save the Rhino. “This donation comes at a critical time to help us safeguard the future for rhinos in the wild. Extensive poaching for the rhino horn continues to threaten survival of this iconic species, with at least 1,054 rhino being poached in 2016 in South Africa alone. Despite the encouraging decline of 10.3% compared to 2015, the rise in regions outside South Africa continues to be cause for great concern. We really value Microgaming’s long-term support, having donated £18,000 in total to date.”
There were a number of side events in aid of charity too, including a £500 bounty from Microgaming CEO Roger Raatgever, which was won by Rob Deaves from 32Red, who chose The Children’s Centre to receive the cash amount. The charity, based on the Isle of Man, develops, manages and pioneers a variety of community initiatives and services aimed at enabling children, young people and families to realise their full potential.
The Children’s Centre CEO, Fiona Dawson, says: “We are delighted to receive this generous donation and support from Microgaming. The funds will make an immediate difference to the lives of local children, young people and families who benefit from the charitable services offered by The Children’s Centre on the Isle of Man. The £500 donation will go towards The Community Farm projects that engage with children and young people to develop vital life skills such as resilience, forming relationships, empathy and preparation for dealing with the unexpected.”
Last but certainly not least, the Sit n Go tournament was won by Rory Cartwright from Betsson and the £500 winning donation goes to the MS Society Isle of Man, a branch of MS Society. The charity aims to provide progress in MS treatments, research, care and support, and help people affected by MS take control of their lives.
Derek Patience, Chairman of the MS Society Isle of Man branch, adds: “We are very grateful to be selected as the charity of choice by the winner of the MPN’s Sit n Go Side Event, and of course to receive a £500 donation. This money will be put to great use, providing support, guidance and care to those suffering with Multiple Sclerosis on the island.”
The inaugural MPN charity poker tournament, organised in-house, donated £7,000 in total benefitting four different charities across the globe.
“The Network Games team were honoured to host such an entertaining and rewarding event,” says Jean-Luc Ferriere, Director of Network Games at Microgaming. “I would like to thank everyone, not least the players, involved in making the MPN Charity Poker Tournament such a success, and look forward to including it in our calendar for ICE 2018. Microgaming and the MPN team believe that Playing It Forward is very important and we hope the four winning charities benefit greatly from the prize money donated.”
-ENDS-
Note to editors:
More information about Microgaming PlayItForward can be found here.