Ian Lindsay (r) works the craps table at the Bishop Elks Lodge’s 2007 Casino Night. Lindsay will offer a tutorial for the unitiated prior to this Saturday’s event. Photo by Darcy Ellis

By Mike Gervais
Register Staff

4-3-2008

Never has gambling been more of a sure bet – guaranteed to pay off in more ways than one for many involved. 

Residents are invited to roll the dice for a chance to win dozens of prizes while contributing to numerous good causes at the annual Elks Lodge Casino Night.
The Elks will host their popular annual fundraiser on Saturday, April 5 from 7-11 p.m. at the Elks Lodge in Bishop. A $10 buy-in at Casino Night earns residents $100 worth of chips for betting on various casino-style games. At the end of the night, the chips may be redeemed for raffle tickets for about 50 great prizes.
“We have more prizes this time than ever before,” said event coordinator Ian Lindsay.
Players will have the chance to win dinners from Bar-B-Que Bill’s, La Casita, Nik-N-Willies and Taco Bell; gift certificates from Mt. High Video, Bishop Twin Theater, The Toggery and High Country Lumber; and other prizes from Mac’s Sporting Goods and Culver’s Sporting Goods.
One of the most popular Casino Night prizes each year is the wheel barrow full of various bottles of alcohol. “We have a raffle of 12 bottles at every (Elks) meeting, and some of the winners donate the bottles to the wheel barrow,” Lindsay explained. He added that the wheel barrow now has dozens of bottles awaiting a winner.

Residents try their hand at cards in the hopes of racking up chips redeemable for raffle tickets at the 2007 Casino Night. This Saturday, the Elks Lodge will once again be transformed into a large gaming room, with offerings ranging from poker and blackjack to craps and bingo. Photo by Darcy Ellis

The grand prizes at Casino Night include vacation getaways from the Carson Valley Inn, Silver Legacy Resort and Topaz Lodge, and two 8-by-10 prints donated by the Vern Clevenger Gallery.
Unlike other gaming entities, the Elks Lodge “casino” actually wants guests to walk away with as many chips – and by extension, raffle prizes – as possible.
To give players an edge, the Elks Lodge dealers make themselves available to help the novice player and provide tips for the games.
“The dealers are there to help,” Lindsay said, “we want you to win. The players have to win, we don’t want these prizes left over, we want to get rid of all of them.”
According to Lindsay, the Elks Lodge also provides exceptionally liberal payouts to ensure that players have the best opportunity to win.
Those unsure about their skills or shy about stepping up to the table on Saturday are invited to show up a little early for gambling lessons from a renowned expert.
Lindsay himself, who has recently penned a novel on the subject of gambling, will be offering a tutorial beginning at 6:30 p.m.
“I’ll be there early, early, teaching mainly craps, because everyone knows how to play blackjack,” Lindsay said. “I’m glad to do it, we want you to win,” he added.
Craps and blackjack certainly aren’t the only games that will be available at the lodge this weekend. The Elks will be offering poker, wheel of fortune and the ever-popular bingo game.
“We’ll have 20 some-odd dealers, cocktail waitresses and bartenders, all volunteers of course,” Lindsay said.
Each year Casino Night draws in a couple hundred people who buy chips and donate funds that the lodge then distributes to local charities such as the Sierra Breast Cancer Alliance, Easter Seals, the Salvation Army and more. Casino Night proceeds also go towards Thanksgiving turkeys and Christmas gifts for local needy families and children.
Also, because of financial hardships at the campus, the Bishop Elks Lodge will be donating proceeds from Casino Night to Bishop Elementary School.
Traditionally the Elks are able to raise between $2,000 and $3,000 with this single event.
“It’s a hell of a fun night, we have a ball and we’re always exhausted afterwards,” Lindsay concluded, noting that he and the other dealers stay at the tables all night. “The Vegas dealers get 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off,” he said, “we’re there for the whole four hours.”