The College-in-the-Woods Council and resident assistants will convert the CIW Dining Hall into a bona fide casino for the 33rd annual “Casino-in-the-Woods.”
The theme for the event, which will take place Saturday from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m., is “Casino-in-the-West,” inspired by the saloons and sheriffs of the old American West.
Students will be able to gamble with real money on games like blackjack, roulette, money wheel, beat the dealer and joker 7. The dealers, who are BU student volunteers, will undergo several training sessions and pass an examination to qualify for their one-night New York state license to deal.
The event’s proceeds will be given to the Michael Lewis Wolkis Miles of Smiles Foundation, which provides scholarships to students with humanitarian characteristics, donates sports equipment to those who cannot afford it and supports neurological research. Event coordinators hope to draw anywhere from 500 to 700 guests, and raise between $4,500 to $5,000 to donate to foundation.
Last year the event saw approximately 700 guests and raised nearly $4,000, an all-time high for the event.
“It’s a win-win situation,” Student Association Vice President for Programming Aaron Cohn said. “Whatever you win, you get to keep. Even if you lose money, you know it’s going toward to good cause.”
According to Cohn, the annual event is one of CIW’s most popular.
“If you ask anyone who has ever lived in CIW of their favorite event, probably about 90 percent of them would say Casino-in-the-Woods,” he said.
Junior Matt Soriano, CIW president and event overseer, said the planning committees spent two months working on the event, coordinating activities through a number of meetings between CIW Council and the RAs. Each committee has its own responsibilities for the event, including decorating, troubleshooting and acting as pit bosses and working the chip room.
When students walk in, they will be greeted with picture cut-outs, posters, theme decorations, food, drinks and entertainment that will have transformed the dining hall into a complete Western casino.
A cover charge of $3 will include unlimited non-alcoholic drinks, hors d’oeuvres and additional Wild West-themed entertainment. Participants pay for chips to compete in games involving probability, and raffles will be held for free massages from Acacia Aveda, memberships to Roberson Museum and gift certificates for Uncle Tony’s.
Fran Hornick, College-in-the-Woods’ full-time secretary, said that the event has been popular among not only BU students, but also Greater Binghamton community residents who have been known to attend the public event.
Hornick, who has been to all 32 “Casino-in-the-Woods” events since 1977, said she continues to come back because of its exciting atmosphere, charitable cause and because “it brings people together.”