The commemoration of the 40th anniversary alone did not prompt the amplified scale of this year’s event. The effort to make this year bigger than ever was a direct response to the decline in attendance over the years, which has waned from over 1,600 in the heyday of Casino! to only 350 attendees in 2007. Proceeds then were upwards of $15,000 with many faculty and staff in attendance; in the past few years, an average of $3,000 has been raised for various causes, from tsunami relief to Educate!’s work in Africa, with the cost of producing the event exceeding the amount raised.
Most of the Casino! traditions, such as the 21-and-over champagne room and use of faculty dealers, are still part of this year’s activities, but there will be changes to key aspects of the night, most notably to the gambling itself. In the past, students purchased a ticket to enter and had to buy chips to play. They gambled for money and were asked to donate their winnings at the end of the night, which some refused to do. This year, all proceeds will go to a scholarship fund set up by Intercambio YA!, a student organization on campus that organizes service and cultural exchange trips for Amherst College students to the rural Yabacao region of the Dominican Republic. Funds will finance the college education of high-achieving students in that community of eight villages that only has a 13% high school graduation rate and has never had a college graduate.
Students will play for prizes instead (e.g. iPods, portable GPS system) and be automatically entered in a dice-rolling game to win the nautical blue, second-generation Matrix, which will be parked at the College until the day of the event.
“The decision to give free chips with the ticket to get everyone started playing was in response to concerns that only the wealthy students felt comfortable playing the night away,” said Ashley Armato ’08, one of the event’s organizers. “The tickets are cheaper than they have been in a decade in an effort to make all students feel welcome.” In an effort to ensure total inclusiveness, no prior knowledge of casino games will be necessary to play this year, as rules will be posted at each table and staff will be on call to explain the games to novices.
“There will be a red carpet for everyone to arrive in style and professional photographers to take their pictures. This event used to be one of the most fun and classy nights of the year at Amherst College, and we want to bring that back,” said Assistant Dean of Students Samuel Haynes, who will serve as the bank for the eigth consecutive year.