Carnival casino revelers play for prizes

Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, wild cheers erupted as someone scored a major win at the roulette table.

A typical evening at the Montreal Casino? Not quite. As part of the City of Westmount's 2008 Winter Carnival festivities, the Lodge Room at Victoria Hall had been set up as a gambling casino for the adults.

"We've got a good crowd and people are having a lot of fun, and we have some absolutely fantastic prizes from the local merchants," said Virginia Elliott, assistant community events coordinator for the City.

About 150 people took part in Casino Night, 'gambling' for prizes that ranged from jewelry to spa treatments and certificates for restaurants.

While a younger crowd was enjoying the Carnival Cruise event in the main auditorium downstairs, the adults, in return for a $10 entrance fee, received $5,000 worth of gambling chips, which they could spend for an hour-and-a-half. A jazz pianist and a couple of female vocalists provided entertainment.

At the end of the evening, the prizes were auctioned off with whatever money players still had left. Perhaps, not surprisingly, some had lost everything except their shirts.

The tables were all manned by volunteers who underwent a short period of training in how to run games for the "house."

In the next room, meanwhile, Director General Bruce St. Louis was tending the bar. The Bruce Special, as advertised on a menu card sitting on the bar top, was actually a Cosmopolitan cocktail, he said, a type of Martini with a touch of cranberry added.

"I don't go to gamble in the city ever, but this is fun," said Marks, who managed to break away from the ongoing blackjack game for a few moments.

"We're not using money for gambling; it's just the fun of it. It's just like playing bingo in church basements. It's really just the opportunity for people to get together and have a good time."

Marks said she was thrilled to see that so many people showed up even through a winter storm was brewing outside.

"The volunteers worked very hard to put this together," she said. "Next year, we'll have a lot more people, because it really is a fun evening and people are having a wonderful time."