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How to Hold a Casino Fundraiser Night.

If you�re looking for ways to raise funds for Charity, a fun casino could be just the thing you�re looking for. A fun casino draws in a wide range of people, young and old, male and female. Its wide reaching appeal is thanks to the fact that a casino has an air of elegance and sophistication attached to it which stems from old Bond movies like Casino Royal and Diamonds are Forever. Even in modern Hollywood, casino games are prevalent; including movies like Ocean�s Eleven, Casino, The Sting and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. For so many different reasons, a Casino is the epitomy of �cool�, so it�s a great way to get people through the door for your fundraising event.

So how does it work?

Normally a fun casino is booked and paid for by the host, and guests are treated to free fun money to play on full size, authentic looking casino tables. At the end of the night, the person with the most money wins a prize, usually a bottle of Champagne or a certificate. All the games are just for fun. No real money changes hands, and it�s a great way to entertain guests and drum up an exciting atmosphere at your event.

A fundraising fun casino is slightly different. Instead of guests receiving free fun money on the night, they are encouraged to pay for the fun money to raise funds for the named cause. This way, no real money changes hands on the casino tables, but the charity of choice receives a donation each time someone wishes to play. The great thing about this is that most players lose their money on the Roulette table when they make brave bets, and lots of players like to make brave bets, therefore, they�ll be likely to come back again and again to buy more fun money with which to play with!

You might be asking yourself, why not just play for real money if the house is likely to win? That way the charity can make a great deal of money! Unfortunately, this way would prove difficult for several reasons. To play for real money on a mobile casino table, you will need to obtain a gambling licence. These are difficult to obtain and also very costly. In addition, there�s always the chance that one lucky player will win big. Then the charity will end up having to pay out money, and that would defeat the object of the night somewhat.

So how do we make money?

You�ll need to charge people for the fun money to raise funds. It�s completely up to you what you choose to charge for the fun money, and it often depends on the type of guests you are inviting or the tone of the event. At grand scale charity balls and benefits, it is not unheard of to charge up to 50 for a $100 fun money bill to play on the tables, whereas, in a smaller, and more low key charity fundraiser at a village fete for example, it might be more sensible to charge 5 for $100 or even sell $50 bills for 1, whatever price you think you will sell the most amount of fun money at. The best way to work out how to charge for the money is to decide how much money you�d like to make on the night, and then divide that figure by the number of guests. For example, if you�d like to raise 1,000 and you�re expecting 100 people to attend, you should charge 10 for the fun money. Some people at the event won�t buy the fun money and some will buy twice or even three times, so it shou ld even out nicely.

How do you make sure guests buy the fun money?

You might be wondering how to convince wary spenders to part with their hard earned cash? If the pull of charitable giving is not enough for your guests, you�ll need an anchor; something to lure them in and make them want to spend. The best way to do that is to offer prizes! What you offer as a prize depends on what sort of money you are charging for the fun money. If your guests have paid 1 or 2 for their fun money, a nice bottle of wine or a bottle of Bubbly would go down a treat, however, if you�re charging a bit more for the fun money, you might want to offer something a bit more substantial. You don�t want to have to spend a lot of money on the prizes, as this will defeat the object of the night, so there are lots of ways to generate prizes for free.

What can we offer as a prize?

Anything, as long as it�s desirable! Firstly, talk to some local businesses and see if they would be willing to offer their services as a prize at your fundraiser. For example, a local hairdresser might offer a free cut or colour to the lucky winner, or a local restaurant could donate a free meal for two. When you put the idea to them, tell them you�ll advertise their gift in all your marketing for the event, and you�ll put up posters or hand out business cards or flyers on the day. You could also remind them that they will be in a great position to make money from the winner by link selling products. For example, the hairdresser could tell the winner they can have 25% off any other treatment on the day, thereby making a sale, and the restaurant will be charging for any wine ordered with the meal and waiters will offer more courses, charged at the standard price which they will make money on.

If you can�t find anyone willing to offer you a free prize, you could ask them to meet you in the middle, and to offer a �gift with purchase�. For example, your hairdresser could give you a �Free Cut when you book a Colour Appointment� or your restaurant could give you �50% off dinner for two�. You could then compile a book of vouchers for the lucky winner of the night. These prizes are great for the businesses offering them too, as they�ll be making money from a client they would otherwise not have had, and of course they�re great for the winner, because everyone loves a bargain. The more vouchers you can collect, the better the prize will be for the winner, and the more fun money you�re likely to sell.

Failing that, you could ask around all the people helping to organise the event for raffle prizes they might have at home such as unwanted Christmas presents or unused cosmetics in good condition. You could then put together a hamper for the winner made up of these donations, all for the cost of a basket and a pretty piece of ribbon. Use your imagination to make the prizes, and remember, the more you can offer the more fun money you�re likely to sell, and subsequently, the more money you�ll raise for the cause! When you have the prizes, put them within sight of the tables with a sign next to them telling people what they can win. If possible, make an announcement at the beginning of the night and tell your guests what they stand to win. Hopefully, the fact that they have shown up indicates that they will be in the mood to spend, but everyone needs a bit of encouragement now and then!

Also, why not bulk the prize up by giving a certificate with it? It doesn�t need to be amazing, it just needs to look smart, and it gives you a great excuse to take a picture with the winner to use for subsequent fundraiser nights or newsletters.

How much will it cost to hire fun casino tables for a fundraiser?

To hire a professional, full size fun casino table costs a maximum of 300, and to hire two tables costs between 400 - 480, depending on the company you use. Getting the best price will be of paramount concern when booking a fun casino for a fundraiser, as the aim is to make money rather than spend it, so shop around for the best prices, but make sure you know what you are paying for. Some fun casino tables are beautiful looking, professionally made and incredibly impressive, whereas others are not. Make sure you�re not paying premium prices for a poor product, and ensure that you are getting the quality you are paying for. You really do get what you pay for with fun casino tables. It�s fine to hire �pub quality� fun casino tables which are similar to trestle tables covered with baize, or even �budget casinos� or �DIY Casinos� where you�ll be given cloth and a small roulette wheel to use on the night, but you�re more likely to make more money for the charity if you use grea t quality products at a great price with full size tables and impressive accessories. When you are hiring a fun casino for a charity fundraiser, make sure you tell the supplier who you are working for and what you are doing. There�s a very good chance they�ll be able to offer you a discounted rate for their service, or hep you in some other way. It�s very rare to find a fun casino company that will offer their services for free, or to find one that will agree to let you sell the fun money to pay for the table hire, but ask if you like and see what they say. They can only say no, and they shouldn�t be offended! What a lot of companies will do, is allow you to pay the full balance on the night itself rather than pay an early deposit and clear the balance a week before the event, (which is the norm) allowing you the time to make money from ticket sales or door entry. Talk to your supplier and ask them what they can do for you. Each company is different, and has different polici es to work with. There�s always someone out there willing to help you.