Charitable gaming came to Collier Lanes in Oxford this week as the longtime family-owned bowling alley converted its North End Bar into a charity poker room.
Open from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Tuesday through Friday, the poker room will host Texas Hold’em tournaments for various nonprofit groups.
From now until April 17, the poker room’s being used to benefit the Orion/Oxford Eagles, which is raising money for the American Cancer Society.
Next week, the cards will be dealt to raise funds for American Legion Post 374 in Berkley.
‘Right now, we’re booked for the next six weeks,? according to Bill Darr, owner of the Clawson-based Champion Poker Supplies, the company that’s coordinating the charity tournaments at Collier Lanes.
Collier’s poker room will feature daily freeroom tournaments beginning at 6 p.m. with a guaranteed cash prize.
Cash games will be going all the time with $1/$2 blinds and buy-ins ranging from $30 to $200.
Darr’s company rents gaming equipment to nonprofit groups for fund-raising events, supplies them with a list of trained dealers for hire and helps them through the process of obtaining a charitable gaming license from the state.
‘It’s pretty much a turn-key operation,? he said. ‘We guide them through the entire process.?
Champion Poker Supplies markets its services toward schools, churches, veterans groups, etc.
Darr said there should be enough nonprofit groups out there to keep Collier Lanes poker room quite busy.
‘Part of my job is making sure it’s open every week with a different charitable organization,? he said. ‘Any charitable groups interested in hosting fund-raisers, I want those calls.?
According to state law, each nonprofit group is limited to four Millionaire Party licenses per calendar year. Each license allows the group to operate gaming for up to four consecutive days.
A Millionaire Party, as defined by the state, is a Las Vegas-style event where bets are placed using imitation money or chips in games associated with a casino such as Black Jack, roulette and Texas Hold’em.
For more information about the Collier Lanes poker room, Bill Darr can be reached at (248) 762-1600.