Last Friday night the Arnold Air Society of the Air Force ROTC sponsored their annual casino night for the students, faculty, and staff of RPI. The purpose of the event was to raise money for local charities as well as provide a fun and unique event to start GM Week. The event was organized and run by the members of the Jack Newkirk Squadron of Arnold Air Society. When eager students entered the McNeil Room around 7 pm that night, they were met with a plethora of games to choose from as well as a casino-like atmosphere complete with volunteers dressed up in bow ties, music, and wandering food and beverage sellers. In order to enter the realm of gambling excitement, participants paid a mere $3 cover charge and could then buy gambling chips, in the form of half dollars. Then, with high confidence and a bucket of half dollars in their hands, participants were able to win real money if they were lucky enough in games like the Money Wheel, Over/Under 7, Chuck-A-Luck, and Black Jack. Black Jack was by far the most favorite, with eight different tables running, including one with high stakes. For the experienced gambler, this game offered the largest winnings. One of the dealers, John Smith, noted, “It was nice knowing that the time I was donating was going towards giving money to local charities.” Another popular game was the Money Wheel, a sort of gambling wheel-of-fortune game. Jennifer Silverstein, one of the Money Wheel spinners, believed it was popular under false pretences, because “the payback was so large, people forget that their odds were so small. So when the thrill and excitement overcame them, they forgot that they were still actually in debt. It was pretty ingenious.” The continuous clicking of the wheel throughout the night proved its popularity and also gave a hint of the profits that were being made for the local charities. Many gamblers believed that by yelling at the wheel, it would stop on the right number. The validity of this technique was uncertain and opinions varied. Throughout the night, screams of joy and disappointment continually filled the air. Some people made out nicely, while others sulked at the end of the night. However, the bitterness of defeat for the unlucky participants was quickly softened by the knowledge that all of the money taken in by the house would be donated towards charitable causes. Even those who left empty-handed still felt good about dropping a few extra bucks into the donation bucket on their way out. At the end of the night, the event raised money for the Troy Boy’s and Girl’s Club, as well as the Children’s Hospital. Senior Brett Ryder, who was in charge of the event, quipped, “In the big picture, what we accomplished on Friday night was huge—$1,200 or so for local charities.” Look for another Casino Night next year during GM Week—so save your pennies and come prepared to have fun.
