Saturday night, students rolled up their sleeves, and dices as they tried their luck at SMU’s The Union’s Casino Night.
Screaming with joy at winning a game or groaning in disappointment at losing them, students gambled with “fun money” at different casino games such as blackjack, roulette, craps and many others.
The Union organized Casino Night to welcome the first-years to SMU, enhance their experience at SMU, make it a place they end up loving and enjoying, and hopefully call it “home,” said Becca Brady, president of The Union.
“I live for Casino Night,” Richard Song, a management science and finance major, said.
Izzy Estment enjoyed the Casino Night. “I was better at the games than I thought I would be,” she said.
The dealers at the Casino Night were trained professionals, part of a premier casino party company called Aces Wild Casino. They taught students how to play the games and guided them by providing them with winning techniques.
Alikhan Karimi, an SMU first-year, remarked that the dealers were hilarious, friendly and seemed to love what they were doing.
Casino Night was held in the Mack ballroom at the Umphrey Lee Center.
The ballroom, lit in hues of red, blue and green and the up-beat music boosted the energetic vibe at Casino Night.
Students broke out in random dance moves while standing at the “casino-quality” tables and showed a liking for the atmosphere in the ballroom.
“Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, which made the experience at the Casino Night much more amusing,” SMU first-year Meghan Klein said.
Klein said she liked gambling at Casino Night more than at an actual casino because the dealers were more cordial and there was less pressure because they were playing with “fun money” and not actual money.
Casino Night was part of Peruna Mane-ia and was funded by the First Six Weeks Committee, which provides engaging entertainment mostly for the first-year class.
The idea behind Casino Night was to provide a unique experience to students in a “substance-free environment,” Lindsey Koch, adviser for The Union, said.
Students could also turn in their “fun money” and buy raffle tickets for prize buckets worth as much as $500.
The prizes and the event were co-sponsored by Exhale Barre, Yoga and Spa, Rockfish Seafood Grill, Urban Taco and Becks Prime Restaurant.
