poker charity

Charles Barkley is going back to Las Vegas to hit the tables again, but this time it’s all in the name of charity. The TV personality and former NBA superstar will be testing his poker skills in a celebrity poker tournament, “Ante Up for Africa,” 2 July at the 2008 World Series of Poker.

Although the event is for charity, this news comes as quite a shock after Barkley’s comments about a month ago, after settling a $400,000 gambling debt in a Las Vegas casino.

“For right now, the next year or two, I’m not going to gamble,” Barkley said after the ordeal. “Just because I can afford to lose money doesn’t mean I should do it.”

Eighty-one poker players took part in the first charity "Hold' em" tournament to be held under New Brunswick's new gaming laws - including the province's justice minister.

Justice Minister T.J. Burke, an avid poker fan, said New Brunswick's gaming laws have evolved to give charitable groups access to a new source of revenue.

"Today's craze is Texas Hold 'Em, Omaha Hi-Lo... and these are types of tournaments that players are coming out to participate in, so that we help and assist with charitable organizations that need to off-set some of their overhead by generating revenue," he told CTV Atlantic.