Poker therapy for battle-weary US troops
31st March, 2008
Online gambling may be illegal in the heartland of the USA, but America's troops fighting in Iraq have been given the green light to engage in a spot of remedial poker action during their tours of duty.
Arizona businessman Randy Ying has donated three custom-built poker tables to an unnamed Marine Corps unit based in the wartorn Middle Eastern nation, pokerlistings.com is reporting.
The poker website said that each of the tables has been specially emblazoned with the Marine Corps group's VMM-162 logo on its felt surfaces. All three have been fully constructed and will be shipped imminently
Ying told the Arizona Republic that he hoped his modest gesture would go some way towards easing the pressures of being deployed in a warzone. "It's just a good way for me to do my part and support the troops," he told the newspaper.
And it's not the first time philanthropic Ying has prescribed poker chips to stressed-out military personnel. He recently donated another custom-made table to a group of helicopter pilots in Odessa, Texas.
Last week the US military death toll in Iraq surpassed a new grim landmark, with 4,000 American soldiers having lost their lives since 2003.
Poker Alerts bringing you the latest poker news
By Emmie
