Office Christmas party themes, part 4

Why a casino-themed office Christmas party is
a sure bet for success

If you want something a bit different for your office Christmas celebration this year, a casino-themed party is sure to be a winner − and it doesn’t have to cost you big bucks.

There are several things you’ll need to think about, including decorations to create the right atmosphere, which games to provide, what refreshments to offer and whether to introduce a dress code.

  
How to jazz up the place

You’ll be amazed at how a few decorations and touches can give your office or party venue a real casino feel. Having arranged your gaming tables in a way that looks like a casino floor, why not add green or black felt tablecloths? Make your colleagues and friends feel special with a red carpet runner and a VIP entrance sign. Casino sign cutouts, with the names of games on offer, will be useful for guiding your workmates to the table of their choice. Balloons with pictures of cards and dice will also liven up the place, as will playing-card cutouts, casino confetti and banners, or a slot machine backdrop. Go all out or go minimalist. The choice is yours.

What to play?

Give your casino party a genuine Vegas feel with games such as blackjack, roulette and poker. For the more novice gambler, you can put up ‘how to play ...’ and ‘rules of the game’ posters, as well as organising simple dice games and bingo. After all, you’ll want to ensure everyone feels included. You may have to get a few of your colleagues on board to help run each game, but if you’ve got the budget, how about hiring a professional dealer or two for a few hours. If the funds are available, you could also give every party guest real notes or chips. If not, just play with fake money. A nice touch would be to provide everyone with a scorecard to mark down their earnings or a little bucket for their winnings. If using fake money, you could give a prize to the person with the highest score or greatest number of chips at the end of the evening.

Nibbles and tipples

Finger food is definitely the way to go if you’re having a casino-themed evening. It’s easier to carry around and means your workmates will be able to snack between games. Mini sandwiches, chips, chopped veggies and dips, pizza slices, chicken wings, lamb skewers, mini meatballs, mozzarella sticks, garlic bread and slices of bruschette should fill empty tummies, while platters of apples, cherries and bananas provide a fitting link with slot machines. Bowls of crisps, nut, pretzels and wrapped chocolates throughout the room will be a nice accompaniment to the drinks. Make sure you have lots of punch, beer, martinis, margaritas, non-alcoholic cocktails, fruit juices and other soft drinks on hand throughout the evening. And, for a nice touch, add casino-themed plastic stirrers with your beverages.

Dressed up to the nines

If it’s a classy do that you’re laying on, why not get your colleagues and friends to dress accordingly, with tuxedos and suits for the gents and evening gowns for the ladies. But if it’s glitz and glamour that you’re after, encourage the women to accessorise with sequins and boas, and the men to don flashy shirts and ties adorned with playing cards and dice.

If after reading this, you decide that a casino night for an office Christmas party doesn’t come up trumps for you, why not consider organising a casino or Vegas night-themed fundraising event for charity instead. It’s sure to be an ace affair.