September 29, 2005 – Top online gaming site bodoglife.com has undertaken several initiatives to aid Gulf Coast hurricane victims. The web site recently raised $27,000 in several poker and blackjack tournaments for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, with all proceeds going to the Red Cross.
bodoglife.com is also sponsoring the South Helping the South benefit that takes place Sunday, October 2 at the chic Sanctuary Hotel in Miami’s trendy South Beach. The event will feature a private dinner at the hotel’s Sugo Restaurant followed by a silent auction with once-in-a-lifetime dream items that include: a guest spot on celebrity chef Rocco Dispirito’s show; front-row tickets to Regis & Kelly; a signed tennis racket from Andy Roddick along with a private tennis lesson from his coach, Dean Goldfine; the ultimate trip to Las Vegas; a private sail for two in New York Harbor on board the Shearwater yacht, and more. Guests will be able to bid on a bodoglife.com poker table as well as play poker at the event with all buy-ins donated to hurricane relief.
All of the proceeds will go to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. The event is chaired by VegasInsider.com’s Peter and Kelly Gold, and hosted by Sanctuary Hotelier Keith Menin and bodoglife.com’s Founder and CEO Calvin Ayre. Miami’s Fox 7 personality Shireen Sandoval will be the emcee for the night. Miami Heat DJ Irie will set the mood with music. Invited guests include Ricky Martin, Pharell, Diddy, Miami Heat players, Miami Heat dancers, Anna Kournikova, Enrique Iglesias, The Rock and more.
“We are deeply saddened to hear of the many victims caught in the devastating path of the hurricanes,” says Calvin Ayre, Founder and CEO of bodoglife.com. “So many lives have been impacted by these disasters, our benefit tournaments and this event are the least we can do to help ease the pain of those who were affected and displaced. Our poker and blackjack players have really come through to help the victims. Their contributions have been significant and we are just building upon their donations.”
The tournaments and event are just the latest charity efforts by the online entertainment powerhouse.
In July, Bodog teamed with the Fisher House foundation to host “Bodog Salutes the Troops: A Tribute to American Heroes”, a two-day charity concert and poker tournament that benefited the men and women of the U.S. military. Earlier in the year, Bodog was the major sponsor of the LA Lakers Youth Foundation’s Second Annual Casino Night. Many celebrities, poker professionals and basketball stars were on hand to compete in the charity poker tournament.
bodoglife.com, located in San Jose, Costa Rica, is federally licensed by the Costa Rican and UK governments. One of the pioneers in the field, bodoglife.com is the top-ranked US facing online gambling brand, with highest site traffic amongst multi-product US gaming web sites according to Hitwise.