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Former NBA Star Barley to Take Part in Charity Poker Tournament
According to a recent report, popular American ex-basketball pro Charles Barkley agreed to take part in a poker competition once more. This is despite the fact that in the past ‘Sir Charles' pledged not to play in a casino establishment for a long while. The former NBA player is expected to participate in the "Ante Up for Africa" event to be staged at the 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) on July 2.
The "Ante Up for Africa" competition is designed to raise funds as well as international awareness for the crisis in Sudan's Darfur region where 300,000 people already lost their lives due to the local military conflict. Participants in the above mentioned celebrity poker tournament have all promised to donate at least half of their winnings. Last year's event raised over $500,000.
Barkley was once reported as saying that he intended to take a break from poker and casino gambling after he had been sued by Wynn Las Vegas casino last May for not paying $400,000 in gambling markers. The prominent athlete ultimately settled his debt with the gambling establishment and also paid $40,000 in district attorney's fees. Barkley currently serves as an NBA analyst for the American Tuner Network Television.