It was a strange scene at first, the evening of Wednesday Nov. 17 in the Pilot House.
The scene was inviting, and while students may be fairly used to seeing the Pilot House decked out for different occasions; it was still a welcome shock to see slot machines lining the left wall of the entry.
A table offered starter kits would the evening's would-be winners' cups filled with chips and volunteers ready to give the lowdown on how the games work.
"When you want to start, we give you a cup with ten black chips" Katie McGraw, junior, media studies, said as she worked the front table.
"You also get a raffle ticket to start, and when you're done playing, you can exchange your winnings [chips] for more raffle tickets."
The system of indirect winning was not a hit with everyone, and a few groans were heard over the lack of immediate prizes.
Still, considering the fact that nobody could expect standard gambling, it was a well-thought out, nifty system at Casino Night.
Those participating in the event could only win more chips at the blackjack tables and slot machines, but the incentive is still there: the more chips you have, the more raffle tickets you can buy.
The more tickets purchased, the better a person's chances of winning were.
Beyond the slots, all of which flashed bright, multicolored lights and blared frenzied sound clips, a handful of blackjack tables kept games going all night.
Six or so players sat at each table and rotated throughout the evening. After working off some calories betting, a spread of snacks and beverages tempted event goers in front of La Cantina Loca.
All manner of cookies were stacked high, although not for long, and hot chocolate and coffee substituted for a regular casino's array of liquid recklessness.
The University Program Board was responsible for organizing and holding Casino Night 2008.
As always, they blanketed the campus with ads for the event, catching many an eye.
"I saw the huge signs at the rotunda and other places around campus" Amy Walsh, sophmore, biology, said in between cranks of a slot machine handle.
"The 17th is my birthday, so that got my attention. Also, my friend Leah came last year and with just one raffle ticket won an X-Box," Walsh said.
This time around, prizes were divided into three categories. To "buy" a ticket for the first category, one needed five black chips.
For the second category, fifteen black chips. For the third category and the largest, juiciest prizes, a raffle ticket cost 25 black chips.
More cautious gamers could also break their black chips (each worth 1,000 points) into green chips (500 points each) or blue chips (100 points each).
In the first category of prizes, there were DVD two-packs, bulging sacks of sugary goodies and racks of sodas and various other treats.
The second category offered an assortment of Triton gear, packs with cans of Starbuck's iced coffees and other nifty gifts, including a card shuffler with a deck of cards, of course.
In the final and most coveted of categories were only two prizes: a digital camera and a cd/Mp3 playing boom box.
The night offered wonderful and, dare we say it, addictive entertaining; as the UPB proved once more that they know how to lure students out of bed for free entertainment.
Games went on longer than scheduled and shouts of joy mingled with the slot machine's jingles.
Sobering things up a little was a section of the entryway table devoted to pamphlets advising the early warning signs of compulsive gambling.
This was a tactful and appropriate touch that underlined the fact that at this casino, you had everything to win, and nothing to lose.
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