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We have all been moved by the distressing images popping out of the Philippines in recent days. Millions of individuals has been affected and thousands of individuals (perhaps 10,000) are feared lost.

As we now have done at other times of world disaster, we're mobilising the poker community by launching an international online appeal in support of the victims of Typhoon Haiyan.

Effective immediately, our players may be able to donate to the international disaster relief efforts throughout the PokerStars client, using funds held of their player accounts. Players on Full Tilt Poker might be in a position to do the similar in an issue of days.

Credit: OCHA

By creating dummy tournaments into which players register and pay their entry fee, that is then paid to charity rather than a prize pool, we will provide a snappy and simple way for our customers to make a donation to the appeal. In addition, players could make real money transfers from their online wallet to a specially created "Typhoon Fund", where every cent is passed directly to the correct charity.

Credit: OCHA

For the primary time, we can be activating a brand new partnership formed earlier this year with CARE International, a number one humanitarian organisation that responds to very large scale natural disasters by delivering emergency aid where it's needed most. This partnership means we have already got arrangements in place to make sure we will provide immediate financial assistance within the event of a giant scale global catastrophe.

Over the approaching days we will be able to be communicating with our players and to the broader poker community encouraging then to present generously. Through Helping Hands, the Rational Group's corporate giving programme, we can be matching dollar for dollar every donation made by our players via the arrangements outlined above.

Anyone with no PokerStars or Full Tilt Poker account wishing to make a donation to our appeal may achieve this at our Philippines Appeal page.

Thank you for reading, and please help in case you can.

Sue Hammett is the top of Corporate Giving for The Rational Group

Read More... [Source: PokerStarsBlog.com :: Corporate Blog]