By Mansfield Frazier
The runaway success of the Horseshoe Casino, unfortunately, has had one unintended negative consequence: It caused the closing of Nautica Charity Poker, the Flats operation that put thousands of dollars into the coffers of local 501c3 organizations over the years. All of the poker players are now doing their gaming at the ‘Shoe instead, and some very worthwhile non-profits are experiencing reduced revenues as the need for their services continue to rise.
Some folks of course argue that all gambling is nothing more than a disguised tax on people, which, in fact, it is. But it’s one that people at least have an option in regards to paying; they can simply refuse. But to my mind there’s a distinction between casino-style gambling and charity gaming; the former only enriches casino operators while the latter assists groups in doing good in the community.
Organizations such as Ronald McDonald House, the USO of Northeast Ohio, and the Boys & Girls Clubs — plus dozens of others — all got cash infusion from the legalized gaming at Nautica and put it to good use… but, alas, no more.
How it worked was simple, straightforward and efficient: By law only incorporated and chartered entities (a county, city, town or village) can sponsor fundraisers for non-profits. They operate in a similar fashion to Catholic churches, which host Bingo and Casino nights. In the case of Nautica, charities would host Poker Nights and, out of their profits pay for the rental of the facility… meanwhile netting a couple a grand in an evening. On some holiday weekends the take was as much as six or seven grand per night.
All-in-all it was a win-win situation, but the bottom fell out of the business model when a big dog (or in this case, a big Horseshoe) came to town and all of the players left for the new facility.
However, a group of intrepid businessmen foresaw the demise of Nautica due to its proximity to the new casino and decided to provide charities another opportunity to raise funds by opening a new facility out in Lake County. Buckeye Charity Poker is set to open in the Chardon-Bishop Plaza on Sat 9/8 with the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission as the first host charity.
As a matter of full disclosure, since my wife and I have been running a non-profit for close to a decade now we know the terrain and I’ve been assisting the operators of the new facility in identifying worthwhile smaller charities and helping to get the word out — which, obviously, is what this article is all about.
The new operation seeks to solve some of the issues that were problematical at Nautica; mainly, the fact that by law the dealers at the poker tables have to be volunteers — which meant finding and training 20 or so amateurs to work the tables during the event. This rule usually worked a hardship on many of the charities.
But Buckeye Charity Poker is solving that problem by introducing automated poker tables — no dealers, no chips and no cards — to Greater Cleveland. All of the gaming is done on highly sophisticated, state-of-the-art tables designed by a company called PokerTek, which also places their tables on Carnival Cruise Lines… where vacationers seem to love them.
Nonetheless, experts concede that some older players will not be comfortable at automated tables; they want and need chips and cards to keep their hands busy; it’s a habit. But younger players (who are more accustomed to playing online) will find the much faster gaming action to their liking. The pace of play on automated poker tables is almost twice as fast as playing on tables with human (even professional) dealers, and the hassle of hands being thrown in due to human error is eliminated. Additionally, those inclined to try to cheat won’t like the automated tables — they’re completely foolproof, thus making for a much fairer outcome for all players.
Also, the folks at Buckeye Charity Poker don’t want to be solely dependent on the hardcore poker player… they expect the charities to work hard to turn out their supporters for their events. Some of those charities like the new concept and are already starting to line up to host events, while others are taking a more cautious “wait-and-see” approach, wondering if all of the poker players are permanently wedded to playing only at the Horseshoe.
Obviously the businessmen behind the Buckeye venture don’t think so, and are concentrating their efforts on a younger market — one that just might feel more socially responsible and are more inclined to want to give something back to worthwhile organizations. Eighteen-year-olds can play at Buckeye, while 21 is the minimum age in the downtown casino. The new operation is also going to offer jackpots and tournaments that are not available anywhere else in the area.
Anyone who wants to get a sneak peek at the facility can call Crissy at 440.347.9565 to arrange a tour. Or you can simply show up at 28301 Chardon Road, Willoughby Hills on Sat 9/8 at 7pm for the Grand Opening, and get ready to have some fun while fundraising.
From Cool Cleveland correspondent Mansfield B. Frazier mansfieldfATgmail.com. Frazier’s From Behind The Wall: Commentary on Crime, Punishment, Race and the Underclass by a Prison Inmate is available again in hardback. Snag your copy and have it signed by the author by visiting http://www.neighborhoodsolutionsinc.com.