The Texas Hold 'em poker craze has become the newest fundraising tool for U.S. charities, with most players unaware of who the money's being raised for.

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From local churches and community groups to giants like the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation are using poker events to raise money, in some cases ignoring state laws that outlaw such gambling, The New York Times reports.

"It's not that they're there to support the charity, they're there to do their favorite pastime," said Jim Kasputis, president of the Rockford Charitable Games Association, which runs games in Arlington Heights, Ill. "They could care less if it's the NAACP or the Ku Klux Klan -- they're coming to play."

Recovering gambling addict Arnie Wexler said he sees the new trend as a slippery slope.

"If you opened up a house of prostitution in downtown Chicago, people who never cheated on their wives would eventually go there because all of a sudden it's legal," he said.