Student Programming Association will be hosting Casino Night, which features various casino games for students to play, tonight from 7 to 9 p.m. in the snack bar area of the Bollinger Memorial Student Union. There will be four Black Jack tables, one Dice, Roulette and Poker table and four slot machines available for students. Students will be given $1,000 in play chips.

At the end of the night, the top players will be awarded prizes. Jennifer White, auxiliary services coordinator, said that this year the prizes would be worth fairly more than prizes awarded at previous Casino Nights. A DVD player, for instance, may be one of the items awarded, she said.

Those who are not part of the top winners are still eligible for prizes. Items such as T-shirts, travel mugs and Frisbees will be given away throughout the night to “keep it live and interesting,” White said.

“I’m excited,” Jaclyn Haydel, SPA Union Activities Chair and pre-dental hygiene sophomore from Raceland, said. “Last year there was not that big of a turn out, but we’re trying to get more students to participate.”

Haydel said she is very optimistic about student participation this year.

Professional dealers from a company in Franklin will be present at the event. This is the third time these dealers have been hired, White said.

“They are very professional,” White said. “They even wear a uniform.”

There is no fee to participate in Casino Night, but undergraduate students who wish to participate must carry seven hours or more, and graduate students must carry six hours or more.

Students must present their Colonel Cards.

Other than that, “(Students) don’t need to bring much at all unless it’s a lucky rabbit’s foot, Lady Luck, Mr. Luck, I have no idea,” White said. “Just bring fun, a great attitude and whatever good luck charm that helps out.”

Casino Night is usually held once a year in January or early February. White said students requested it to be held in the fall semester, and SPA considered it.

“We didn’t want to over-do it,” White said. “We didn’t want students to get burned out on the event.