Keep The Lights On Raises Funds for Poker Media During COVID-19

  • Global Poker, Poker Central, RunGoodGear working together on the initiative that launches today
  • Funds will support poker media freelancers who are struggling due to live event cancellations
  • Jamie Kerstetter, Brian ‘TheGoldenBlazer’ Frenzel, Jeff Platt will stream games daily until May 20
  • The pledge page for the fundraiser is already live and ready to accept donations
illustration showing money increase
The Keep The Lights On initiative is raising funds for poker media freelancers who are out of work due to event cancellations in the wake of COVID-19. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

Charity initiative launches April 27

Global Poker, Poker Central, and poker clothing brand RunGoodGear have joined forces to work on Keep The Lights On, a charity initiative that is due to launch on April 27.

With live poker events across the world canceled amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, many freelance poker journalists are out of work. Keep The Lights On will help raise funds to support these individuals during the current trying times. 

the initiative will offer to pay utility bills for people in the poker media

Specifically, the initiative will offer to pay utility bills for poker media personnel who are unable to cover their expenses. Anyone who feels they fit the categorization can submit an application by May 11. 

Poker pros to stream games

Three poker personalities will be streaming their games as part of a challenge. Jamie Kerstetter, Brian ‘TheGoldenBlazer’ Frenzel, and Jeff Platt will be the ones battling it out in ten tournaments on a given day each week. PokerGO streamer Platt will be kicking off the action today at 5pm ET.

The designated days are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from April 27 through May 20. A Keep The Lights On ProAm Qualifier will take place on the closing day. Whichever of the trio comes out on top with the highest winnings by the end of the given period will automatically qualify for the All-Stars Pro-Am Qualifier live event. This is set to take place in Las Vegas at the PokerGO studios in December. 

All the action can be followed on the PokerGO Facebook page.

Each time someone donates at least $5 to one of the trio on the pledge page, they receive a ticket for an online private qualifier to get a seat at the ProAm. Three seats are up for grabs, with donation pledges ending on May 3.

total sum pledged to each of the three poker pros will be multiplied by the number of times the respective player cashes

The total sum pledged to each of the three poker pros will be multiplied by the number of times the respective player cashes in a tournament during the challenge.

Making donations on Pledge It

The Keep The Lights On donations page on the Pledge It platform is already live, with close to $16,000 raised at the time of writing. A special edition hoodie is also available for purchase at Poker Central’s online store, with proceeds going towards the initiative. 

In a statement on the fundraiser, Poker Central chief business officer J.R. McCabe explained: “Our goal with this fund is to provide as much support as possible to those who have tirelessly supported when Las Vegas and the rest of the poker world was shining bright.”

Some of the other main drivers behind the scenes for Keep The Lights On include Chad Holloway from PokerNews, Matthew Clark of the World Poker Tour, and Rob Kirschen from the World Series of Poker.

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