As part of his quitting poker, Peter Eastgate felt he could do the most good by selling his World Series of Poker Main Event bracelet and giving the proceeds to charity. The November 2010 eBay auction winner paid $147,500 but wasn't identified at the time.
It turns out that Scottish refrigerator magnate and poker enthusiast William Haughey was inspired by Eastgate's charitable desire and became determined to become the highest bidder. He has done very well in his refrigerator business with an estimated wealth of over $200 million. Haughey has donated $9 million dollars to charity over the last five years. He is a generous supporter of Labour in Scotland, Celtic FC and friends with Sir Alex Ferguson. Houghey is also an avid poker player with some good results, including a side tournament for the EPT Grand Final in 2008 and cashing in several World Series of Poker tournaments.
"Willie told me that when he saw that Peter donated money to charity, he decided that he definitely would be the highest bidder. He was touched by Peter’s generosity," says Claus Nielsen, a lawyer for Peter Eastgate.
For the actual donation, the $147,500 came to £94,000 which didn't look as nice on the check, so he upped the donation to £100,000. The funds will go to UNICEF, who has already directed the money to assist children in Pakistan affected by the recent floods.Houghey is currently considering options for how to best utilize the Eastgate Main Event bracelet to its best purpose to inspire further donations for charity. He didn't buy it to have it displayed on his shelf.
