Who would have thought that states like Minnesota would ever allow anyone to play slot-resembling games online for charity purposes? Minnesota and other states US, where gambling is subjected to the Anti-Gambling Laws, have decided to exempt this form of virtual gambling from its regular anti-gambling legislation. Charity organizations in the US as well as in different parts of the world are looking forward to cashing in on the financial advantages of the gaming industry and gambling has turned into a revenue generator for charity organizations looking to find more support in local communities. As it turns out, you can actually gamble and be socially responsible!
In other words, it is legal to gamble for a charity cause, with live bingo games, raffles and charitable online gambling (online slots in particular) on top of the list. The Americans aren’t, however, the only ones to embrace this peculiar type of gambling. There are several countries worldwide that have adopted the same charity fundraising strategy. The UK is a great example where the Gambling Commission clearly states that it is legal to raise money for charity by running a poker night or a bingo night, with the specification that the event must provide non-commercial equal chance winning games.
Below we will take a closer look at three different ways of Charity Gambling mentioned by GamblersBet.com:
1. American BetonCharity
Betoncharity allows American players to select one of the four groups/they would like to show their support for:
- the International Red Cross and
Red Crescent Societies
- the American Cancer Society
- the Make-a-Wish Foundation
- UCSF AIDS Research Institute
The process is very simple. Once you have selected the charity you would like to support, you will be allowed to play on familiar games like poker, slot machines or even horse betting. Before you start playing you make a money transfer to the gaming site of the desired sum of money you would like to gamble for. Once your transaction has gone through you will be prompted to the games’ page and allowed to play. This particular online charity casino donates 5% to 40% of the house’s wins.
2. Finland Another Great Example
Casino Helsinki is one of the few casinos on the planet – and the second one in Finland – to donate all of its profits to charity. The venue is owned by the government and it hosts seven poker tables (Texas Hold’em, Chinese Poker, Omaha Hold’em, Five-Card Stud and others). It also organizes weekly tournaments, along with annual Finnish Poker Championships. According to their website their company Veikkaus generates over a billion euros a year for the benefit of Finnish society through the ministries of social welfare, health, youth work, sports and culture.
Paf is another Finnish casino-like venue that was founded by the Red Cross together with the public health service and a few child welfare associations. It has turned into an online platform where registered users can play slots, live casino games, poker and backgammon. They can wager using their credit cards or bank transfers and all their losses are turned into charity money.
3. Casino Nights – Held Worldwide
Besides the online charity gambling concept mentioned above which has started to flourish only in selected parts of the world, Casino Nights or Monte Carlo Nights enjoy more popularity and can be found worldwide. These events create a fun and thrilling atmosphere guests love, setting the perfect ground for them making their generous donations through casino wagers.
Celebrity Casino Nights are very popular in the US as they gather famous actors, singers and athletes to help raise awareness – and money – for charities across the country. Eva’s Heroes with its Celebrity Casino Night and Texas Hold’em Poker Tournaments are highly-anticipated yearly events hosted by Eva Longoria’s non-profit, charity organization. The organization fights for enriching the lives of individuals with intellectual special needs and attracts celebrities from all over the world. Tickets for their events like the Texas Hold’em Poker Tournament range from $50 for simple spectators to $250 for individual tickets that include a seat in the poker tournament with 10,000 chips. A single raffle ticket costs $20, while bonus registration adds on costs $100. celebs who will be attending the event will have the chance to opt for the WOW Flush Five for $1,125 for 5 guests, Four Of A Kind for $3,00 with Company logs placed on promotional materials and the invitations or the Royal Flush Sponsor option for $15,000.
Charity Around the World in $
On average, Eva’s poker nights mentioned above, manage to raise over $500,000 or more each year! The Americans seem to react especially well to the events held by Eva Longoria and she has managed to raise millions of dollars since the launch of the events ten years ago. In fact, Americans give $427 billion to charity every year. People in the UK are also known as supporters of good causes. Online charity donations were up by 17% in 2018 compared to 2017, totalling 26 percent of all types of donations. While most English donors still prefer to donate cash (55%), fundraisers (23%) and raffles or lotteries (40%) are also on top of the preferences.
Australians also count among the most generous donors in the world. Estimates speak of 14.9 million Australians (over 80% of the population) giving around $12.5 billion to charities and non-profits organizations in 2015-16. Poker Deluxe fundraising events are some of the most successful charity events in the country that have helped raise more than $1.5 million for charities around Australia.
Online charity options are great regardless of where you live. You can find a series of free sites that resemble casinos online where you are allowed to play slot-like games using real money, no matter if your country usually prohibits, as long as your winnings will not go to your account, but to a beneficiary group. If you felt inspired by the casino nights events you can even use this as inspiration for your own local or corporal fundraising event. It can be done as a DIY event or with real table games and dealers operated by professional event planners. Again, also as a home event, this is legal as long as no real money is involved in the actual gambling so make sure your guests understand it is for charity!
