Did someone say jackpot? On the evening of March 11, Sonoma State hosted Casino Night in Ballroom A of the Student Center. The event was part of Sonoma State’s ongoing LoboFest activities. 

The event was casino-themed where students could go to play popular and classic casino games while enjoying a Friday night out with their friends or even making new ones. Casino Night was hosted by SSU’s Student Involvement and as well as other Sonoma State students that volunteered to help out.

“What I enjoyed the most about tonight was meeting new people while I was dealing at the blackjack table. I also enjoyed seeing old friends I hadn’t seen in a while,” said Haddie Danner, a third year business major at Sonoma State University. “Something else I really liked was the community building aspect that comes with these sort of events here at Sonoma State University” 

The night started off with students having to check-in by the front door of Ballroom A. Students attending Casino Night were required to show a green screen on their daily wellness check-up screening along with presenting their Sonoma State ID. After those safety precautions were completed, students then received a little casino theme cardboard box with 15 chips inside. If students ran out of chips they could go back to the front where they checked in to get a refill of 15 new chips to continue to play games.

Once inside, students were free to use those chips on any of the games they would like to play. There were four games for students to pick from including poker in Texas Hold ‘Em style and in 5 card draw style as well, blackjack and roulette. There was also a fifth non-casino game where students were allowed to spin a wheel and got the chance to win more chips. Additionally, there were tons of free pizza available for students while they played their games. 

Fourth year student at Sonoma State, Carlos Valdez, said “My favorite part of the night was getting to play games with my friends and the free pizza. I also liked being able to interact with the dealers while playing”

At any point throughout the night, students had the option to take the chips they collected from winning games and trade them in for tickets. Students could trade in five chips for one ticket. These tickets could then be used to win prizes through a raffle. Student involvement had 50 total prizes for Sonoma State students to win. 

To wrap up the night, the organizers raffled off the prizes with students waiting anxiously in hopes of hearing their number called. These prizes varied from a beach towel to an instant camera, To more luxurious prizes like Apple Airpods and a brand new 32 inch TV. Students were able to win up to two prizes and if they were to win third they were allowed to pick two out of the three prizes

Casino Night at Sonoma State is a staple event on the campus. It is typically held once every year but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event took a two-year hiatus. Students along with other campus community members welcomed back the event with big open arms as it has always been a huge success. The night was filled with fun games, food, and laughter by all of those that attended, creating a wonderful community for the night.