If you’ve ever been to a casino-themed fundraiser, you know how fun it can be watching someone at the craps table who is on a roll with lucky dice.
You can actually have that same excitement at any event regardless of the theme.
Buy some large inflatable dice and have the crowd try their luck.
These are available from Amazon, and many party stores nationwide. Even if you don’t use the large inflatable dice, small dice at a special casino table can be used too.
Charge a set fee for a dice roll, such as $5 or $10 for one roll and $15-$25 for three rolls. The giveaway for winning rolls is usually tickets to use toward a prize. For example, when a 3 to 12 is rolled, the winner gets that same number of tickets. Rolling snake eyes (a pair of ones) is the big winner and is awarded 20 tickets.
There can be lots of different ways to use the tickets. Sometimes, dice roll tickets are specific to a certain special prize, such as a weekend get-a-way, nice dinner or gift certificate. The tickets can be deposited in a special raffle prize bucket, or the winning ticket can be drawn at the end of the Live Auction.
The dice roll can also be an additional way for guests to earn tickets toward your regular raffle prizes. Typically, several raffle prizes are lined up with a bucket in front of each one. Tickets can be placed for any item of the guests’ choosing. At your event, the winning tickets are drawn during dinner or dessert, and posted on a display board or presentation that is projected on screen.
Another fun game variation is a roll of the dice to “crack the safe”.
The prize in the safe remains a mystery, but you usually advertise the monetary value of the prize ($200, $500, $1000) to attract attention. For this game, you would choose 3 numbers, such as 12, 7 and 5). Guests who want a shot at “crack the safe” would have to buy three rolls. If they hit those three numbers, they crack the safe and win the prize. Be sure to create a lot of fanfare when the person hits the numbers. Make an announcement that someone has cracked the code, and draw the announcer and crowd to that area to reveal the prize.
Regardless of how you choose to allocate the tickets or the dice rolls, this game can add a lot of action to your evening. Remember that people of all means will likely attend your event. Some shy away from higher-priced silent auction items and have a tendency toward raffle-type events that are more affordable. This is a great, easy way to engage everyone at your event. Most people don’t mind chipping in $10 for one roll, especially if there is an opportunity to win 20 tickets for a chance at a much larger prize.
You can even do a team competition if it makes sense for your event theme.
For example, you can have two teams of four people challenge each other for $40 per team entry. Bonus tickets can be given to the winning team for the lowest combined roll total, highest total, most sixes rolled, most pairs rolled—really any combination that is fun. Sometimes the competitive spirit takes over, and before you know it, each team has spent $100 or $200 to beat the other team! It’s fun and challenging for the guests—and great for you because your event is bringing in more fundraising dollars.
At your event, it is best to have fun and enthusiastic volunteers at this station to get everyone energized and draw a bigger crowd over to the area. You can have a volunteer dress up like a Vegas dealer to make it more fun. If possible, rope off a special dice roll area and decorate it as much as you can, with a Vegas theme, or your relevant theme. It’s easy to get square cardboard boxes and paint them to look like dice.
Some charities even use this event to start out golf tournaments. For example, the team that rolls a five or a six gets to tee off from the closer tee, or they win more mulligans.
No matter how you implement your dice roll game, it is very easy to organize, easy to play, easy to run, and competitively priced to bring in additional funds for your event.
Lynne’s Advice
- These inflatable dice are available to order online, and offline through party stores.
- Small dice at a special casino table can be used instead.
- The dice roll can also be an additional way for guests to earn tickets for a selective raffle.
- This is a great, easy way to engage everyone at your event. Most people don’t mind chipping in $10 or $25 for one roll, especially if there is an opportunity to win 20 tickets for a chance at a much larger prize.
Some Personal Insight from Lynne
This revenue booster can be applied to more than just a Vegas-themed night. Small dice with a table can be applied, too; however, the large inflatable dice are more popular since they add more activity/show and tend to draw more people into taking a chance.
Here’s hoping you get snake eyes!
This article is part of our 26 Proven Revenue Enhancers for Your Fundraiser eBook available as a free download. If you looking for new revenue enhancing ideas and how to incorporate them into your event—this easy-to-use lookbook is for you.
