But Why Can’t We Just have a Fundraiser?

A First-Person Account from a Casino Party Planner Who Took One of Those Calls

You get used to strange calls in the event planning world—last-minute weddings, surprise birthday bashes, someone wanting Elvis to deal blackjack (not even the weirdest request I’ve had). But every now and then, you get a call that makes you question whether common sense packed its bags and moved to Vegas without telling anyone.

This was one of those calls.

The Phone Call

It started like any normal inquiry. The woman on the other end sounded excited—bubbly, even.

“Hi! We’re doing a fundraiser for our kids’ soccer league and we thought it would be super fun to do a CASINO NIGHT! You know, blackjack, poker tables, dealers dressed all fancy. We’ll charge at the door, maybe sell chips, maybe raffle off prizes based on who has the most chips at the end!”

I’ve been down this road before. Carefully, politely, I said, “That sounds like a great party idea, but I should mention—hosting a casino night as a fundraiser where money is exchanged for chips or prizes is considered illegal gambling in most parts of California unless it’s run by a licensed nonprofit and even then, very specific rules apply. I’m not a lawyer, but we don’t provide services for events where real money is exchanged.”

There was a pause. I thought maybe she was processing the information. But then:

“Wait… WHAT?”

Then came the part where I started to mentally check out and let muscle memory handle the script. She was yelling now. Not angry—just loud, the way people talk at Costco when they think you can’t hear them over the air conditioning.

“But it’s just for fun! I mean, we’ll call it a donation! Or better yet—we won’t say anything. Just wink at people. Or—OHH—I KNOW! We’ll sell raffle tickets that magically turn into poker chips! Hahaha!”

I sat there, stunned. Was this real life?

The Illogical Logic

She continued, unfazed by my uncomfortable silence.

“I don’t understand why this is illegal. People do it all the time!”

That’s right—people do speed on the freeway too, but that doesn’t make it legal, or smart to talk about over a recorded line while planning the whole thing out loud with a stranger.

At this point, I gently tried to explain that even discussing it like this could get her into trouble. I wasn't trying to lecture her—I just wanted to stop her from incriminating herself (and maybe me) with a sentence that started with “we were gonna skim a little off the top, but...”

But she didn’t seem concerned.

She just laughed and said, “Anyway, it’s not like the cops are gonna raid us. It’s for the KIDS!”

The Takeaway

It amazes me how some people will talk freely—loudly—about things that are very clearly not allowed, thinking that slapping a “for a good cause” sticker on it makes it all fine.

Here’s the thing: I’m in the entertainment business. I love making parties unforgettable. But I’m not in the business of breaking the law or playing dumb about what’s legal and what’s not.

So if you’re planning a casino night, here’s a quick cheat sheet:

• Fun only. No real money. No prizes with real-world value. No selling chips.

• If it’s for a nonprofit fundraiser, check with your state’s Department of Justice or Attorney General’s office. There are ways to do it right with just poker—but winging it and shouting about “creative ways around it” is not one of them.

  
  

• And please, PLEASE!—don’t try to get us involved in your legal gray area workarounds while you’re on speakerphone at the PTA meeting.

Please understand, We want to throw the best casino night events on the Planet! We just want to do it legally.

DADS Casino Party