The thrill of gambling and possibly winning a little bit of money keeps people attending casinos time and time again. Even more exciting is taking that fun atmosphere and putting it in your backyard, church basement, or town hall with other personal, fun-filled touches added. Hosting a casino night is a great, effective way to raise money for a good cause. To do so, there are certain things that will assist you and guarantee your event is a big success where people have fun and lots of money is made.
1. Insurance, liquor licence & permit
First and foremost, you need to undertake some administrative steps to confirm that your event is in compliance with laws and regulations. Most events such as a casino night requires you to purchases event insurance, also called general liability insurance. This will cover you and the venue in the event of any losses, injuries, or property damage sustained during the event. Most venues require you to purchase a policy that covers up to $1 million.
If your venue does not normally sell alcohol, chances are they are not licenced under any liquor licence board. In this case, you will be required to purchase a liquor licence especially if funds raised by alcohol sales is a main goal. If you are not selling the alcohol but offering it free of charge, a licence may not be required. You may also need a permit for a casino night even if it is a fundraiser so contact your local authorities for information.
2. Tickets
Tickets will be one of your main sources of revenue so ensure you sell them in advance and at the door. Free admissions equal missed opportunities to raise money for your cause so make sure everyone who attends is charged for admission. Also make sure every person involved in organizing your casino night is selling tickets. Obviously the more people that buy them, the more money that is made. Sell tickets for a 50-50 draw and raffles donated by local businesses to make even more money for your cause.
3. Games
Obviously to have a successful casino night, you need to rent games commonly found at a casino. The most popular games are usually poker, blackjack, craps, and roulette. Make sure you have at least these games available as they will interest people and will maximize your ability to make money. If you’re running the event on a limited budget, consider party rentals as a possible option to obtain all the essential items that you need.
A good idea to raise money is to give the opportunity to local businesses to sponsor the tables at your casino night for a fee. This contributes money to your cause and brings attention to their business with appropriate signage on or in the vicinity of the table. Arrange your tables in a way that represents a real casino to add authenticity.
4. Food and drink
Offering snacks and beverages at your casino night is needed because it makes your guests feel welcome and if they get hungry or thirsty and nothing is offered, they will most likely leave. As mentioned, if you are selling alcohol, you will require a liquor licence. Also offer non-alcoholic beverages such as soda and water to accommodate those who do not consume alcohol. You can ask volunteers to make homemade dishes to bring but another option is offering finger foods to allow guests to eat and play games at the same time. Offer light snacks such as chips and pretzels and place them by the games so people playing do not even have to leave the table to eat if they are hungry.
5. Staff
Hiring experienced dealers for the tables may take away from your bottom line, but it will guarantee that you have people running the games that know what they are doing and keep the games operating flawlessly. Hired dealers will add even more authenticity to your casino night and you can rest assured that the games are running without issue. As for security, bars and clubs usually have their own but other public venues may require you to hire at least one security guard to deter anyone from causing issues and assist in the event problems do arise.
