Is a Fun Casino a Good Idea for My Christmas Party? | Fun Casino Hire

If you're organising a Christmas party, there comes a point when you have to decide how your guests are actually going to be entertained. The traditional format is fairly straightforward; meal, drinks, music and dancing. Nothing wrong with that, but not everyone likes dancing and even the people that do don't necessarily want to spend hours continuously on the dance floor. At some point people will start to look around for something else to do. The non-dancers especially could start to look at watches and wonder what would be a polite time to leave. The crowd thins and the atmosphere is lost.

A fun casino solves that problem rather nicely. Your guests have something lively, social and interactive to do. They can spend ten minutes playing roulette, cash out, go off for a drink and a chat, cash back in and try their hand at blackjack, cash out again, go for a dance……. It’s all very relaxed, guests can go where they want and for as long as they want.

That's one of the reasons Mock Vegas bookings during the Christmas party season can be around three times higher than at other times of the year. Christmas parties and fun casinos seem to go together rather well.

Why does a fun casino work so well at a Christmas party?

I've provided fun casino entertainment at all sorts of Christmas parties over the years. We've set up casino tables inside offices, people's homes, restaurants, large venues, hotels, social clubs, pub basements. You name it, we've probably set up a roulette table in it. Just to explain, the tables are in manageable sized parts and are assembled on site. If you can walk through a door, we can carry the table parts into that space.

Christmas parties have a different atmosphere from birthday parties, weddings and many corporate events. For some reason, people really do let their hair (and their mothers) down. Free drinks may have something to do with it. A fun casino works particularly well because guests don't have to commit themselves to one activity for the whole evening. You don't have to sit down and play for three hours, you can come and go as you please. A guest might spend ten minutes at one table or an hour. They may play blackjack for a while and then decide to see whether they have better luck at roulette. That flexibility is what makes a fun casino such good Christmas party entertainment.

Are roulette and blackjack good games for a Christmas party?

That’s an easy question to answer, yes. In fact they are the first games I recommend for a typical Christmas party because they are quick to learn, easy to play and they keep moving. That last point is important because if you're entertaining a large number of guests, you don't want everyone waiting around for half an hour to get involved. With roulette and blackjack, guests can learn the basics very quickly and start playing.

Of course, there are other games available. Mock Vegas can provide Casino Stud Poker, Wheel of Fortune, Texas Hold'em poker, Craps and other casino games. However, some games are slower and require a little more concentration. That doesn't mean they don't work, it depends on the event and that number of guests/number of tables ratio. I will not turn up with games that people give up on after five minutes, my aim is to thrill and amuse as many guests as I can.

For example, we have a business in central London with around 20 employees who enjoy a poker-only Christmas evening every year. That's perfect for them because everyone can settle into the evening and enjoy the game.

At the other end of the scale, the Haas F1 team have had six casino tables for nearly 300 guests, giving us the opportunity to include some of the slower games, such as Casino Stud Poker, alongside the quicker games.

That's why there isn't really a one size fits all answer, the best combination of games depends on how many guests you have and how long the casino has to run. Roulette and blackjack hire is a very good place to start.

At Mock Vegas, we assume that most people arriving at the tables don't know how to play. Every table has a professional croupier whose job isn't simply to deal cards or spin the roulette wheel. They will encourage guests to join in, explain and demonstrate the games, answer questions. They help create the atmosphere. Of course, there will always be a few people who already know how to play and some who are very keen to demonstrate exactly how much they know and that's all fine. They will recognise that Mock Vegas is a very real casino experience but with zero financial risk. A typical casino table at a Christmas party will have a mixture of complete beginners and people who think they're ready for Las Vegas, but bear in mind literally anyone  can win your prize. Our aim is always to create that buzz in the room. Cheers when someone wins and friendly banter for that guest who is convinced they had a foolproof system until the roulette ball had other ideas.

What happens if the guests have had a few drinks?

Let's be realistic, it is Christmas and at most parties the hospitality would have started before the casino opens. This is another reason why simple, quick games such as blackjack and roulette work so well. Games like Texas Hold'em poker and Craps can require more concentration and are slower. Our croupiers are friendly, professional and used to dealing with all sorts of situations. If somebody has enjoyed the Christmas hospitality and is feeling a little tipsy, we simply guide them through the game like anyone else. There is no need to know the rules before you arrive. We explain it, maybe have a little demonstration and then we get on with having fun.

Will a fun casino work for a small Christmas party?

Definitely! You don't need 500 guests to have a casino. Last Christmas (and the Christmas before), we provided a poker evening for around 20 employees in a pub basement in central London. In Maidstone had blackjack and roulette running during the daytime for a similar number of guests inside a communal office area. At the other end of the scale, we've entertained 700 guests and more.

The important thing isn't simply the number of people, it's matching the number of tables to the number of guests and the amount of time they have to play. As a general guide, for a three-hour casino, I usually work on around 50-60 guests per table but that can be adapted. If the casino is only running for a shorter time, you may need more tables because the same number of people are trying to play in less time. Experience is important here.

"Not everybody will want to play" and that is true and reasonable, but I can guarantee that 80% people will want to at least have a go once they see the casino tables in action, and those that don’t play will have someone asking whether they can have their fun money for another go. So the casino tables are as busy as if every single guest is playing.

One casino table for 800 guests? Please don't!

One of the biggest mistakes I see is being unrealistic about the number of guests and the number of tables. Last year, I had a prospective client whose plans changed dramatically. They started by discussing six tables, which was ok, everyone has a budget and we could adapt to that. Then he wanted the number of tables reduced to four. That was really stretching things. However, he later wanted to drop to one table, for 800 guests!

That would not be a fun casino experience, nobody would have enjoyed that. It was recipe for chaos and I have a duty of care for my staff. Imagine one bar with one bar person at an event for 800, each guest has a free drink token and they had to stay at the bar while they finished their drink. There would be a lot of frustration and pushing. That is not a festive scenario.

In any case, during the busy Christmas party season, demand is also so high that Mock Vegas operates a minimum two table hire on weekend dates.

My advice is to tell us honestly how many guests you're expecting and how long the casino will be open and we'll help you work out what is realistic. That is much better than discovering halfway through the evening that 200 people are standing at an overcrowded blackjack table wondering when they can get anywhere near it.

When should the casino run?

We always quote for our standard three hour casino. I find this works best after dinner and speeches are finished, alongside the dancing and any other entertainment. Remember, as long as they cash in their chips before leaving any table they can go off for a dance, get another egg nog and mince pie, come back to the casino, have a chat, another dance, the casino again…. It keeps the room moving, the party never gets stale, and it gives the non-dancers something to do. The best Christmas party entertainment gives guests open-ended options.

Give your fun casino a Christmas makeover

One thing about fun casino events is that they can easily be adapted to suit the occasion and Christmas gives you plenty of opportunities. You could have bespoke Christmas-themed fun money with the company logo with snow falling on it. Maybe a Santa hat added to the party host, or the boss if they have a sense of humour. You could also have seasonal spot prizes during the evening.

For example:

Chocolate coins

Drinks miniatures

Christmas chocolates such as those Christmas puddings or snowmen

Small festive gifts

And, of course, a prize for the luckiest player

You don't need to spend a fortune, in fact keeping prizes light-hearted is better. A fun casino should feel exciting but it shouldn't become a highly competitive survival programme.

Choosing the right venue matters

Another mistake I see is choosing a venue that is simply too big for the number of guests. A huge room with 50 people in it can feel rather empty, and atmosphere is everything. You want guests to walk into the room and feel that something special is happening. The casino tables help enormously with this, particularly when they're positioned together and the excitement from one table spreads to another.

Apart from the obvious standard considerations, like the bar, dance floor, DJ, think about how easy it is for suppliers to get their equipment into the building. This is something people understandably don't always think about when they first see a beautiful venue.

I have written more about this in my guide to choosing the right venue for a casino-themed party.

Before booking, visit the venue yourself if possible. Walk through where guests will enter. Then think about where suppliers will enter. If getting a large suitcase into the room looks difficult, imagine trying to move casino tables and DJ equipment. A little planning beforehand can save a lot of headaches later and some suppliers will turn down an enquiry or inflate a quote simply because of experience of certain venues.

Don't underestimate how long dinner will take

Formal, sit-down Christmas dinners always look good on the invitation but in my experience they can overrun, and then there may be speeches and end of year awards. That is not a problem, we will be ready for the scheduled start of your casino, but we can make it a ‘soft start’ whereas we take our cue from when the coffees come out for example. It is a good idea to liaise with your suppliers and let them know what is going on, you don’t want the DJ to blast out ‘All I Want For Christmas’ just before the host or CEO wants to say a few words.

Book early for Christmas

This is probably the most important practical piece of advice in this article - book everything early. Christmas party enquiries for Mock Vegas start arriving in early September and bookings increase rapidly as the party season approaches. My theory is that parents look at the calendar when the kids go back to school wondering when they are off again and realise Christmas is approaching. As if the mince pies in the supermarket (which will be out of date before Christmas Day) wasn’t enough of a nudge. Venues, DJ’s, photobooths, magicians and casino tables will get booked up. After New Year’s Eve, the weekend before the weekend before Christmas Day (if that makes sense) is the next busiest time of the year for Mock Vegas. If you're thinking about fun casino hire for your office Christmas party, hotel event, private party or social club, don't leave it until the first of December and assume everything will still be available. Unless there has been a cancellation, it probably won't. Early enquiries can make planning the event much easier for yourself.

So, is a fun casino a good idea for my Christmas party?

I'm probably not going to surprise you by saying yes, but after decades of experience in real casinos and hundreds of fun casino events, I genuinely think a casino works particularly well at Christmas. It gives every guest something interactive to do. It works for people who love dancing and people who would rather avoid it. Complete beginners can join in, experienced players can enjoy showing off, guests can come and go as they please, and whether you have 20 people in a pub basement or 400 guests in a large venue the casino can be adapted to suit the event.

Most importantly, it creates atmosphere and that is what Christmas party entertainment should be about. Getting people involved, talking, mingling and making sure they have something to remember other than the slightly questionable photograph taken falling into a taxi at the end of the evening.

Why hire Mock Vegas for your Christmas party?

Mock Vegas brings decades of real casino and fun casino experience to Christmas parties across London and Southern England. We don't just hire you tables and disappear. We'll advise on the right games, work out how many tables you need, explain how the fun money works, where the casino will fit into your evening, and provide friendly, professional croupiers who know how to make complete beginners feel comfortable.

Whether you're organising an office Christmas party in Hampshire, a corporate event in Berkshire, a hotel Christmas celebration in Surrey, a private party in Wiltshire or a social event elsewhere across London and Southern England, we can help.

Mock Vegas provides professional fun casino hire, roulette hire and blackjack hire across London and Southern England, including Hampshire, Surrey, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Dorset, Wiltshire, Sussex and surrounding areas.

Christmas comes round every year, but a good Christmas party can be remembered for rather longer.

Call Mock Vegas on 0800 612 7737 for a no-obligation chat about your Christmas party or use the contact page.

Mock Vegas; Where the money is fake but the Christmas fun is very real!