It’s no secret that casinos are viewed as an excessive industry. To cater to gamers and provide them with the best experiences, casinos operate 24/7, meaning they use up energy and resources non-stop. However, this perception of a wasteful industry is beginning to change. Casinos in Las Vegas are implementing environmental practices to prevent harming the environment. Take for example Caesars Palace, which thoroughly segregates all of its trash to ensure it goes to the proper disposal.
Seeing as poker is one of the most popular casino games, it contributes greatly to casinos’ usage of resources. Fortunately, there are several eco-friendly initiatives changing this game for the better. Here are a few of them:
Gaming for Green Poker Tournament
Gaming for Green is a Texas Hold’em poker tournament held by the nonprofit organization Chicago Gateway Green (CGG). It’s an annual event that just held its 15th tournament in May. Participants compete for the grand prize of a seat worth $10,000 at the World Series of Poker (WSOP), the world’s most popular poker festival that hosts over 80 tournaments. WSOP brings in thousands of poker players to Las Vegas yearly for a chance to snag the Main Event (No-Limit Hold’em Championship) 1st place prize of $10,000,000.
The proceeds from Gaming for Green will be used by CGG to make Chicago’s surroundings greener. Since 1986, they have removed 1.3 million pounds of litter and planted more than 4,000 trees and 80,000 shrubs. This poker initiative brings together people’s love for the game and the environment.
MGM Resorts’ Solar Panels
Casinos use up a lot of energy to keep their poker rooms running 24/7. Of course, excessive electricity usage is harmful to the environment due to emissions of greenhouse gasses. To address this, major hospitality and entertainment company MGM Resorts launched the Mega Solar Array, a collection of linked solar panels that will power 90% of their establishments’ energy needs.
This initiative is in line with the company’s goal to source 100% renewable electricity in the country by 2030. This major move by an equally major company is a great step forward for poker to become eco-friendlier.
Sustainable Bicycle Playing Cards
Cards may be reusable, but they do fold, tear, and crease over time, making it easy to cheat in poker games. As such, they have to be replaced quite often and this generates a lot of waste, especially if the cards are plastic-coated.
Fortunately, the famous Bicycle Cards that usually releases collaboration collections have made it a point to make their cards sustainable. By using sustainably-harvested paper and vegetable-based ink, their cards are deemed non-toxic. Given this, the cards won’t harm the environment when thrown away and they can be recycled just like regular paper waste. The company’s decision to switch to more sustainable materials contributes to making poker as eco-friendly as possible.
888poker x ECOSEC Biodegradable Chip Bags
888poker is one of the biggest online poker cardrooms available today. However, they also sponsor a lot of live tournaments like Triple Threat and 888poker LIVE. Earlier this year, they partnered with tamper evident security solution company ECOSEC to create biodegradable chip bags for their live events. Players are able to store their chips in safe and secure reusable bags throughout several poker games, eliminating single-use plastic—a major contributor to waste. This is the first time a major group incorporated biodegradable chip bags for an event, which will hopefully encourage other poker groups to follow suit.
While poker may be seen as an excessive game, these eco-friendly initiatives are refining that notion. If this continues, there’s a high chance that poker may soon be a majorly sustainable industry. If you liked this article, check out similar ones here at Green Host It.
