SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Matchbook has partnered with the charity Raising for Effective Giving (REG) and as a part of the new partnership a market has been opened on the Dan Bilzerian cycling challenge.
The question is will the poker professional be able to cycle from LA to Las Vegas (around 278 miles) in under 48 hours? Whether he does or doesn’t Matchbook will donate all commissions earned from this market to REG.
REG is the charity of choice for many professional poker players. It’s a community of professional players interested in making a positive impact. On the site it states that REG members are able to select the charity of their choice from the list available “or donate to REG unrestrictedly, in which case the money will be allocated according to the consensus of the REG board.”
The charity was co-founded by 2014 female poker player of the year, Liv Boeree, and Global Poker Index’s top ranked player, Igor Kurganov.
Matchbook has stated that it has been searching for a partner that embodies its spirit of community and value for money, and has found an ideal match in REG, an organisation that prides itself on cost-effective, efficient, high impact giving.
Matchbook’s Brand Manager, Danielle Desroches said: “REG is smart, innovative and gives its donors great value, making them a perfect fit for Matchbook. We want our customers to get more from their betting experience and collaborating with a highly effective charitable partner like REG is just one of the ways we can give them more.”
REG’s Executive Director Ruairí Donnelly stated: “Both Matchbook and Raising for Effective Giving are designed for the margin-minded individual. We’re excited to be able to introduce the concept of maximizing expected value in charitable giving to Matchbook’s audience, especially as their community is already used to identifying how to get the ‘biggest bang for their buck!”
In regard to the cycling challenge there’s $1.2m (£851,000) on the line, thanks to the challenge from poker enthusiast and hedge fund manager Bill Perkins.
Accordingly Bilzerian has sought the expertise of former cyclist Lance Armstrong in helping him to train. Bilzerian is favoured at 7/4 to complete the challenge whilst you can get odds of 13/10 for him to fail.
