Our friends at the World Series of Poker and the entire poker community deserve the longest standing ovation for what they have accomplished with One Drop over the past 10 years. All sectors combined, how many companies do you know have been able to mobilize their stakeholders to raise $25 million for a charity?” Guy Laliberté, founder of the One Drop Foundation.
With the same ambition with which the One Drop Foundation strives to change the game in the water sector, poker initiative One More For One Drop is transforming lives. Held this past weekend in Las Vegas to celebrate 10 years of turning water into action together, the One More for One Drop tournament in Las Vegas raised $632,922, bringing the total amount of funds raised through partnership with the World Series of Poker (WSOP) to $25 million. Since 2012, the WSOP, the poker community and the One Drop Foundation have amassed a history of 17 impactful charitable poker tournaments benefitting One Drop Foundation’s water-mission and transforming the lives of hundreds of thousands of people worldwide.
Over the years, the One Drop Foundation and the WSOP have created three charitable poker tournament formats that have been held in Las Vegas, Rozvadov (Czech Republic) and in Monaco. Kicking off in Las Vegas in 2012, Guy Laliberté, founder of the One Drop Foundation, envisioned a game-changing poker tournament called, The Big One for One Drop, that made history on several fronts – including the first $1 million buy-in event and the biggest first prize ever awarded totaling $18,346,673. This tournament has generated nearly $16 million in contributions for One Drop Foundation’s mission through its four editions that were held biennially from 2012 to 2018. In addition to The Big One for One Drop, there have been eight editions of another rendition poker tournament titled, The Little One for One Drop, a $1,000 buy- in charitable poker event with a $111 optional contribution, and five editions of yet another charitable poker tournament titled, The High Roller for One Drop, a $111,111 buy-in. More than 20,000 poker players have contributed since the beginning of the One Drop-WSOP partnership in 2012, either by playing one or more tournaments or making donations at cash-out.
The recent One More for One Drop tournament held this past weekend in Las Vegas enabled the One Drop Foundation to pass the extraordinary mark of $25,000,000 raised through their poker initiatives for One Drop Foundation’s crucial mission of ensuring sustainable access to safe water for communities facing extreme barriers.
“Our friends at the World Series of Poker and the entire poker community deserve the longest standing ovation for what they have accomplished with One Drop over the past 10 years. All sectors combined, how many companies do you know have been able to mobilize their stakeholders to raise $25 million for a charity? This is not only a true example of generosity, it is also a leadership testimonial in the purest form. Thank you, my friends, for caring so much for the cause of safe water for all and for giving the best of yourselves to put a lasting dent into poverty with us,” said Guy Laliberté, founder of the One Drop Foundation.
“I will remember forever when Guy presented to me his idea for a $1 million buy-in charitable tournament that would soon be known as The Big One for One Drop. You have to remember that in 2012, super high roller tournaments rarely exceeded $100,000. Adding a zero was not the typical increment. Guy was so passionate about the idea and about the impact this tournament would have on access to water in the world that we decided to join forces immediately. I was far from imagining that 10 years later we would have raised over $25 million for the One Drop Foundation and have impacted so many lives. The entire poker community should be very proud of this achievement” said Ty Stewart, Executive Director of WSOP.
The One Drop Foundation was established in 2007 by Cirque du Soleil and Lune Rouge founder Guy Laliberté as an international foundation dedicated to ensuring sustainable access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene locally and globally. In the midst of a global pandemic, the One Drop Foundation and its partners kept making a difference and soon, their actions will have changed the lives of more than 2.3 million people around the world with 26 projects in 14 countries.
The funds raised during One More for One Drop will directly support One Drop Foundation’s safe water access initiatives both locally and around the world.
