Decision Education Foundation Receives $416K from Poker Champion

Eric Brooks, 2008 WSOP Winner, Donates Entire Winnings

Press Contact:

The Decision Education Foundation
Betty Skov
betty@decisioneducation.org
650-704-6641

Palo Alto, Calif. — June 16, 2008 — Pennsylvania businessman Eric Brooks has won the 2008 World Championship of Poker, seven-card stud event, held last week in Las Vegas. But he won’t be taking his $415,856 purse home with him. Brooks is giving his entire winnings to the Decision Education Foundation (DEF), a Palo Alto-based non-profit whose mission is to teach young people how to make good decisions.

Mr. Brooks is a co-founder of Susquehanna International Group (www.sig.com), a global financial firm. He has been a member of the DEF board of directors since 2004 and is a strong supporter of the foundation’s philosophy. “It’s an organization I really believe in,” he said after his win, “because they’re committed to providing young people with an education in decision skills that are critically needed in life but not taught in most classrooms.

“In the case of Susquehanna, the company’s success is due in large part to the extensive investment in education made for our employees. That education is fundamentally the same process that allowed me to make winning poker decisions and is what DEF is bringing to the classroom.”

Already the foundation, in collaboration with a number of partner schools, has created classroom initiatives that incorporate decision skills as part of studies in literature, math and other mainstream academic subjects. To reach students beyond the classroom, DEF is also researching settings such as games of strategy and risk, sports and outdoor activities, as well as tie-ins with popular films, as motivational and fun ways to reinforce the decision making process.

“We’re very excited about this gift and what it will mean for our programs,” said Carl Spetzler, DEF’s executive director. “Our passion for aggressively moving ahead is limited only by our current resources. This gift will greatly help us in developing additional curriculum and expanding our teacher outreach.”

About DEF: The Decision Education Foundation (DEF) was founded in 2001 to promote, enable and support the development of good decision skills by today’s youth. The foundation develops classroom-ready materials and works with select schools and youth organizations, training teachers interested in making decision education a part of their curricula. For more information on DEF, visit the foundation’s Web site at www.decisioneducation.org.