Cancer donations score WSOP VIP status

The World Series of Poker is rewarding charitable benefactors access to a special VIP lounge at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino for the duration of the tournament.

Any player who donates $1,000 to the Nevada Cancer Institute (NVCI) will have exclusive admission to the room, which features 24-hour food and beverages, plasma-screen televisions, Internet access and a billiards table.

Philanthropists will also be granted special parking privileges.

All donations to the cancer center are tax deductible; players who donate will receive receipts from the Nevada Cancer Institute for use during income tax season.

"The WSOP is committed to helping Nevada Cancer Institute continue its important and ground-breaking work," said WSOP commissioner Jeffrey Pollack in a press release. "The new VIP lounge is one way to enlist the support of the poker community. It's good for our players and good for NVCI."

The center - an official community-relations partner of the WSOP - provides researched-linked cancer care to Nevadans and residents of the southwest.

The cancer institute is developing a reputation as a premier cancer care facility in the U.S. and is a non-profit organization.