On Wednesday night, Delaware Senator Joe Biden formally accepted his nomination for Vice President of the United States at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado. The acceptance came 24 hours after a charity poker tournament hosted by the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) raised over $60,000 for the Paralyzed Veterans of America. The main lobbying group for the online poker industry, the PPA raised money for a worthy cause and at the same time raised goodwill for online poker. In attendance were some of the biggest names in Congress, Hollywood, and poker.
Among those in attendance was poker pro Andy Bloch, a former member of the MIT Blackjack Team and now one of the most celebrated poker players on the circuit. He told Poker News Daily, “It was a great feeling to play in the tournament, especially with representatives of the Paralyzed Veterans of America there. We had a lot of people from the local chapter there and they were great to play with. At a lot of the charity events we do, you don’t see a lot of the recipients at the event.” Bloch, PokerStars pro Victor Ramdin, and three-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Barry Greenstein represented the poker world at the PPA’s fundraiser, which was held at Coors Field.
Hollywood came out in style at the event on Tuesday night. Among those in attendance was Ben Affleck, star of “Pearl Harbor” and “Daredevil.” Affleck emerged as the champion of the tournament and was a dominant chip leader when play was five-handed. “Saturday Night Live” head writer Seth Myers also made his way to Coors Field. Myers won the third “Celebrity Poker Showdown,” which aired on Bravo.
Actor Richard Dreyfus was also in attendance; the Oscar nominee appeared as the title role in “Mr. Holland’s Opus” as well as a pair of Steven Spielberg movies, “Jaws” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” Former talk show host Montel Williams was also on-hand in Denver. The final episode of “The Montel Williams Show” aired in May. The star power in the club level of Coors Field helped raise over $60,000 for the PVA, which is an advocacy group for veterans’ rights.
The Democratic National Convention was happening at the same time as the PPA fundraiser, which meant that the biggest names in Congress (at least on the Democratic side of the aisle) were also in the Colorado city. Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA), who has authored HR 2046, the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act, made an appearance. Frank has become the face of online poker legislation and, in conjunction with Ron Paul (R-TX) authored HR 5767, which would have eradicated the regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. That bill was struck down in Committee earlier this summer.
In addition, Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL), who has introduced HR 2610, the Skill Game Protection Act, was on-hand for the festivities. He was joined by his colleague from Nevada, Congresswoman Shelley Berkley, who has authored legislation to enact a one year study of how to regulate internet gambling in the United States. Her bill, HR 2140, has 73 co-sponsors.
There were over 180 people in attendance at the Poker Players Alliance fundraiser during the Democratic National Convention. Next week, the PPA will set up shop in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the site of the Republican National Convention. That charity poker tournament will also benefit the Paralyzed Veterans of America and is being held in conjunction with the American Gaming Association.