‘How many people can take part in a casino night?’ is a question we’re asked a lot, but it’s not that easy to answer – although hopefully this blog makes things a bit clearer…
The simple answer is ‘as many as you want’ although it’s much more nuanced than that.
Typically one casino table hosts seven players at one time. You can push that a little more if you wish (we have the option of a blackjack table with nine boxes, rather than the regular seven) but normally we would not recommend this as it will slow the gameplay down and makes the tables very crowded.
So two standard casino tables allows for a maximum of 14 players at any given time. Obviously we would not expect everyone at your party to play at once. Some players may spend hours playing, but typically we see guests drop in and out in sessions of around 15 minutes at a time, coming back a couple of times in the evening.
As the event organiser, you’ll likely know your guests better than anyone: who do you expect to be at the tables? Who’s probably going to spend the night on the dancefloor? Who’ll be chatting to your friends all evening? This is something you will have to factor into your event planning.
If the casino is the main attraction at your event then we would recommend that you need a higher ratio of tables to guests than you would at an event where it’s perhaps one of a number of attractions.
So how do you work out the number of tables required?
There’s no magic formula when it comes to working out the optimal number of tables required for your casino party but there are some factors you want to take into account:
- How many guests you have
- Duration of the party
- The purpose or theme of a party
- How engaged you think they will be
- What other entertainment you have
- Your budget
How many guests are in attendance?
This is obviously a key factor. If a two table fun casino can cater for 14 players at a time, and you have 500 guests, only one in 35 of your guests will be able to play at any given time, but if you have a party with 40 attendees then more than one in three will be able to play.
Of course, not all will play at any given time. We must assume that not all will play at the tables, and for those who do it may be around 30 minutes but, in general, the more people attending your party the more entertainment you will need.
Duration of the party
The typical party is around four to five hours, while our typical hire is between two and three hours.
This usually works well, allowing the casino to be a great icebreaker in the early hours of the night, before the alcohol begins to flow. Closing the casino to allow another form of entertainment to take centre stage can be a good strategy for the party organiser. However, for longer parties it can often work out better to have less tables but a longer hire time. Worth considering, and worth discussing with your mobile casino supplier during the initial consultation.
The purpose or theme of the party
Another important factor is what is the theme of your party.
In a very mainstream party you may hire a few casino tables to simply provide entertainment to your guests however some themes, like Las Vegas and Monte Carlo, the casino will probably play a more integral part of the night. In these cases you will probably be looking to hire multiple casino tables to create that authentic feeling and give your event a real wow factor.
Likewise, if you are creating a straight up ‘Casino Night’ you can expect your guests to come along engaged and ready to play. In this case you might want to think of a ratio as high as one table for every 10 guests, as you will be expecting the majority to be playing at any given time. We’ve worked at several house parties where there is a one-to-one ratio, with every single guest coming to play the casino games.
The same can be true of casino fundraisers, where you will be actively encouraging guests to play the tables and raise money for your chosen charity. Each table is expected to make a ‘profit’, in terms of fundraising, and in this instance we’d tend towards recommend hiring more tables to maximise the number of players at any time.
What other entertainment you have
There are loads of other forms of entertainment you can have at your party, including:
- Photo booths
- DJ
- Drinks
- Buffet
- Just talking
- VR games
- Comedian
As a general rule, the more entertainment you have the fewer tables you will need. You also need to consider the ebb and flow of the event. For example, if you have speeches or live entertainment, you can expect most if not all attention to be on that activity at the time. Booking a casino for a two or three hour slot can maximise the efficiency of the booking, rather than paying for it while other activities are ongoing and taking the attention of your guests.
What’s your budget for the casino night?
Possibly the most important factor in all of this is how much money you want to spend.
Whether you have a budget per head or a total amount to spend, your budget will dictate how many fun casino tables you can hire and how many players can participate at any given time.
Shopping around and having honest conversations with local mobile fun casino suppliers can help you maximise your budget, as well as helping you estimate the optimal number of tables for your event. Why not check out our recent post with advice on how you can save money on your next casino party night or contact us using the form below for a no obligation consultation?
