By Sean Tubo
“Blue is the lucky color around here,” said Alison Eng, a second-year marine science major.
Monte Royale marked its third year at Cal State Monterey Bay (CSUMB), and turnout was bigger than ever for this landmark event. By 9:50 p.m. over 397 students had checked in, filling out over a third of the ballroom’s 1,100 standing occupancy limit.
At check-in, students received a decorative $500 bill, provided by Royal Casino Parties, which could then be exchanged for playing chips at the various game tables. Any chips students won could then be exchanged for cash chips and turned in for rewards at the prize table.
Prizes included decks of playing cards, stuffed animals and even LEGO sets. For the not-so-lucky gamblers, a separate raffle featured a portable speaker, a tuxedo cat LEGO set and a set of AirPods.
The ballroom featured 26 casino game tables, including craps, roulette, money wheel and poker. Some room was set aside for a snack and beverage bar as well as a sitting room for non-players, but these remained empty for most of the night.
Dan Burfiend, senior coordinator of student engagement and leadership development, described Monte Royale as a “significant investment” for the campus, as well as one with a “high level of engagement” for the students.
Burfiend also implied the rest of the ballroom would be eventually filled with even more games, as the number of tables increases by about six every year.
Activity was highest around blackjack and roulette, where swarms of students crowded around waiting to make bets and watching other students gamble. Pia Ramirez, pit boss for Royal Casino Parties, described it as “double-stacked,” meaning there was a second row of betters standing behind the current players.
The gambling skill of CSUMB’s student body didn’t impress Royal Casino Parties, who regularly handle much larger events of up to 100 tables, but they were impressed by the enthusiasm.
“Some yes, [good gamblers], some a little bit careless,” said Ramirez.
Stories emerged around every table, including two students who decided to just put it all on black. Third-year business major Hugo Gutierrez doubled his money on his first bet to raucous cheers from the table. According to Piper Ellison, one student “beat the record” by losing all of his money within three minutes of the event starting.
The biggest winner that night was Daniel Martinez, who collected over 10,000 chips before walking away with a LEGO succulent set, a stuffed otter and a set of LED wall lights.