Celebrity poker player Ben Affleck bested 100 players to win the "Poker at the Ballpark" charity poker tournament hosted by the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) in Denver during the 2008 Democratic National Convention. The event raised over $60,000 for the Paralyzed Veterans of America.

The charity poker tournament was held at Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies, this past Tuesday (August 26).

Besides Affleck, other celebrities who attendaed included recently-single (yay) Sarah Silverman, Richard Dreyfuss and Montel Williams, along with poker pros Andy Bloch and Barry Greenstein. There were also lawmakers, aides and delegates that played in the tournament.

There were new ethic rules and laws put into action in 2007 to make it harder for lobbyists to buy their way in. But this charity tournament got the okay from the Congressional Ethics Committee because all of the proceeds from the tournament were going to charity.

The event raised about $60,000 dollars for the Paralyzed Veterans of America and hopefully it changed the minds of lawmakers towards online poker.

The Poker Players Alliance will continue to lobby a new set of folks for legalizing online poker at another tournament next week, at the Republican National Convention in Minnesota (click here for related article).

(Source)