Imagine walking into a 1920s casino. The air is thick with excitement, nervousness and tension. Some people win money while others lose what little they have to a blind bet. That is what Casino Night felt like last Thursday. 

Casino Night, hosted by the Campus Activities Board, allowed students to take a break from studying for a couple hours while also having the opportunity to win amazing prizes and groove to some good music while eating and drinking.

Jacobe Boston, a senior toxicology major, attended Casino Night to connect with the campus more. 

“I attended the event because it’s a time where the ULM community comes together to have a great time, make memories, and win great prizes,” Boston said.

Different card games were laid out on tables with multiple CAB members directing the games. Many students turned out to the event, lining up around the table to play and win coins.

This is typically how Casino Night goes except for last year. Last year, CAB had to cancel the event because of COVID-19. This saddened some students that were looking forward to attending the annual event.

Vincent Wilson, a senior Kinesiology major, was one of the saddened students.

 “I missed having Casino Night last year because it forced us to miss out on making memories with friends and also on the prizes we could have won,” Wilson said.

Everyone who played the games either won or lost coins. Once the games were over, they had to turn in the coins in exchange for tickets. The tickets got dispersed in separate bowls for each prize. The students got to choose which bowl they wanted to put their tickets in. Then the host of the event, Erick Burton, announced the winners. 

Ty’Leshia Brown, a CAB member, was one of the lucky ones who won a prize. She won the Keurig.

“I’ve been wanting a Keurig for so long and I am happy I did not have to buy it myself,” Brown said. “I won it with my friends around me.”

Sadly, some students who put their tickets into the bowl did not win a prize. 

Jaden Saunders, senior psychology major, tried to win the AirPods, but it did not work out in his favor.  

“With this being my third time attending Casino Night I know I cannot win every time,” Saunders said. “It is slightly disappointing not winning the AirPods, but I enjoyed the time I spent here playing the games.” 

CAB did not let students down with the prizes provided Thursday night. 

They gave out two ULM backpacks with supplies inside, a Yeti cooler, an Apple Watch, AirPods, a Keurig, a Roku TV, a Bluetooth speaker and an air fryer.