With news surfacing on Saturday that Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama had selected Joe Biden (D-DE) to become his Vice Presidential candidate, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) issued a press release announcing new names that are slated to appear at its upcoming fundraiser in Denver. The event, which takes place on Thursday, August 26th, will benefit the Paralyzed Veterans of America. Building goodwill for online poker, which has been the target of attack from the United States Congress, appears to be the ultimate goal of the PPA during the Democratic National Convention (DNC), which will be going on concurrently in Denver.
The PPA informed the public that actors Seth Meyers, Paul Rudd, and Sarah Silverman will appear at its Coors Field fundraiser in Denver during the DNC. Myers appears on the “Weekend Update” portion of “Saturday Night Live”, of which he is also head writer, and can be seen in the remake of “Journey to the Center of the Earth,” which was recently released into theaters worldwide. Rudd has appeared in a variety of racy comedies including “The 40 Year-Old Virgin,” “Knocked Up,” and “Anchorman, ” plus this summer’s “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.” Silverman is well-known for her hilarious viral video co-starring Matt Damon, as well as her poker skills, and should be a fierce competitor in the PPA’s charity poker tournament.
PPA Executive Director John Pappas commented in a press release distributed on Friday,
The PPA is honored to have these talented actors join us in raising much needed funds for those who have fought to protect our country. We look forward to a great event and encourage everyone to donate to this worthy cause and thank our nation’s veterans for their service.
A fleet of poker players will also be in attendance, including Andy Bloch, Barry Greenstein, and Erik Seidel. The three have combined for 107 cashes lifetime at the World Series of Poker. The PPA rocketed to over one million members and is the main industry lobbying group for online poker.
The tournament will be held at Coors Field, home of Major League Baseball’s Colorado Rockies. The charity event starts at 10:00pm and, in addition to the tournament, 175 door prizes will be given away. The grand prize is a buy-in to the 2009 WSOP Main Event. Sponsorship packages available for the event range from a $250 spectator seat to a $7,500 package that allows for eight players to enter the tournament. If being charitable isn’t enough to encourage companies and individuals to sign up, actor Ben Affleck will be in attendance as well.
The PPA is also partly involved in a fundraiser at the Republican National Convention, which will take place in Minneapolis, Minnesota from September 1-4. Poker News Daily will be covering this event as well. Republican Presidential candidate John McCain has yet to name a running mate. The Chairman of the PPA is Alfonse D’Amato, a former three-time Republican Senator from New York who has personally endorsed McCain for President.
Interested parties are encouraged to e-mail nicholek@pva.org for sponsorship information for the PPA’s event at Coors Field. A VIP reception begins at 9:30pm at the Club Level of the stadium and RSVPs are mandatory. All donations are fully tax deductible and benefit the Paralyzed Veterans of America, a non-profit organization.