Students had a chance to gamble without putting themselves into financial ruin Tuesday night in the Union Ballroom.
Casino Night was hosted by the Resident Student Association from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. and was free to anyone.
The event was organized by Briana D’Entremont, vice president of RSA Programming. D’Entremont likes Casino Night because it is inclusive and a good way to meet people.
“We like to do this program to foster an atmosphere where [students] feel like they can stay at BG,” she said.
Last year, Casino Night drew more than 700 students, according to RSA President Brandon Swope.
This year, a line of people stretched from the ballroom doors to the University Bookstore, waiting for the event to start. The first 100 people to enter got free T-shirts.
One freshman, Zak Goldinger, came because he was interested in card games.
“I love playing poker and blackjack, so I thought this would be a fun way to play,” Goldinger said.
The slot machines had lines of people waiting to try their luck and the poker and blackjack tables were filled, staffed by “celebrity dealers.”
Celebrity dealers consisted of University faculty and administrators who worked the poker and blackjack tables.
Among them was Sustainability Coordinator Nick Hennessy. It was his first night being a celebrity dealer, and although inexperienced, he was ready to try his best.
“I’m glad I’m not dealing poker, let’s put it that way, because I have no idea what I’m doing in poker,” he said. “They give us rules and stuff, I’ll probably try to follow those.”
When students entered they were given $5000 in fake money to use on poker, blackjack, slot machines and roulette wheels.
Swope said he likes the slot machines because they’re easy to use.
“The slot machines are the big ones that I always like to push because for people like me who don’t know how to do casino games, putting a token in and winning is a lot easier than sitting at a table and trying to do cards,” he said.
Students could use the money they won in games for tickets which were used for a raffle.
Although the event can get crowded and chaotic, Swope still enjoys it.
“It’s loud, it’s crazy, but I love it,” he said.
