Stepping into the Marriott for Casino Royal with my friends was like walking into Prom night all over again. Illinois State really seemed to outdo itself; it was unexpectedly fancy, with many students dressed in their best and ready to gamble their free chips away. Walking down the hallway towards the main room, we were immediately greeted with the sight of students in funny hats and costumes, taking advantage of the free professional photos. After taking full advantage of it ourselves, we decided it might be time to see what else this event had to offer. A short walk, check in, and balloon arch later, we were frantically looking for an empty table to put our stuff in our hurry to get to the dance floor. Half of the large ballroom was dedicated to tables, food, and games, while the other half had a DJ, lights, and loud music. We ended up dancing almost the whole time, only stopping every now and then to enjoy the fruity punch or try some of the large assortment of snacks. There were cookies, hot dogs, meatballs, cracker jacks, and soft pretzels; along with different kinds of punch, pop, and even coffee. Servers were waiting in the background to take away empty cups and restock the refreshments. There were also carriage rides out front, which regrettably we didn’t find time for (which is sad, how often do you get the chance to ride in a horse drawn carriage anyway??). I also wish we had spent more time playing some of the many casino games set up near the prizes and drinks. There was blackjack, poker, and a roulette wheel, among other things. After winning chips in a game, you could exchange 10 chips for a raffle ticket to place into one of the many mystery prize bags. One friend won a bag with the title ‘Staying Warm at State’, which had a blanket, t-shirt, water bottle, and the first season of Game of Thrones. All in all, this was an amazing event to go to, and what made it even better was that it was completely free. If there are any future Casino Royal nights on the horizon, I will definitely be going to them!