Gambling for Charity? SMG Casino Night a Big Hit

Hundreds of people in cocktail attire swarmed the George Sherman Union Saturday night as the BU School of Management outdid itself in an amazing fundraising event. As I entered the GSU Metcalf Ballroom at 8:15pm, I was unprepared for the fantastic night I was about to have. While I am usually skeptical when it comes to gambling, I decided to do my boyfriend a favor by agreeing to attend this event with him. Little did I know that he was the one doing me a favor.

Blackjack, Poker, Roulette, Wheel and High/Low Dice Roll stations covered the room from corner to corner. With a turnout of an estimated 500 people, every station was filled to the maximum by the end of the night. Additionally, there were performances from BU groups such as the Treblemakers, Aural Fixation, Suno, Fusion and Chordially Yours throughout the night, giving the event some beautiful background entertainment. Food also lined the back wall, in case anyone got hungry.

How did it work? With 10 dollars admission (all proceeds went to the Girls and Boys Club of Boston), you received 10 raffle tickets, as well as a bunch of chips to “gamble” with. The chips, in fact, weren’t actually worth anything, so they were simply used for entertainment. People would risk high stakes without the worry of losing actual money, and instead of having to leave when you ran out of chips, usually a nice donor with a big stack of chips would make sure you could stay in the game. While I felt more comforted that nothing was at stake, I must admit that it took away a little of the extra excitement that the event could have had. Many complaints were heard throughout the night about the chips not being worth anything, and it took away the drive most people had to actually try to get as many chips as they could. The chips were simply turned into a tool for bragging rights and self-pride, and proved a major setback for the event.

Since I am not a gambler myself, I walked into Metcalf feeling slightly intimidated and worried that I didn’t know how to play any of the games. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised when I sat down at my first table (Blackjack) and, instead of making fun of me for not knowing how to play, the dealer patiently taught me the rules. As I continued along the room to the various other stations, I found that not only were all of the dealers patient and happy to explain the rules, but so were the other people actually playing. To my surprise, the night was one of relaxation, not of the pressure of gambling that I had anticipated. People would high-five me when I did well and encourage me when I didn’t. A stranger sitting next to me would add two chips to my bet for me, just to make the game more entertaining. At the same time, I missed the challenge that I had expected from the event. With the worthless value of the chips, by the end of the night, people did not seem to care whether they won or lost. I regret the thrill that I would have had if there had been, let’s say, a prize for the top five chip collectors, or, like last year, being able to trade in chips for raffle tickets (which was evidently deemed illegal…).

The raffle ticket drawing at 11:30pm was the only really suspenseful part of the night. Throughout the night, envelopes were hung up on the side of the room where people were to place their raffle tickets that they had received with admission. Each envelope was labeled with a prize, such as a Tiffany & Co. Sterling Silver Venetian Link Bracelet, two free nights at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, as well as gift cards to Eastern Standard, Lyndell’s Bakery, Upper Crust, Longhorn Steakhouse, Papa Gino’s, and 5 Wits Entertainment.  At 11:30pm, all of these envelopes were collected, and tickets were drawn. Although I didn’t have the fortune of winning anything, this hyped-up anticipation was a fantastic way to end the night.

In the future, the Student Activities Organization and Programming Council in alignment with Student Union should find a way to have more events that attract so many BU students for such a worthwhile cause.