Online Exclusive
In blow to tradition, Casino Night canceled over legal concerns 11.08.08
Yale’s annual Casino Night party, which had been scheduled for tonight, has been canceled, Ezra Stiles College Master Stephen Pitti announced Friday.
Lawyers in the University's Office of the General Counsel determined Friday afternoon that Casino Night, which traditionally features roulette tables and gambling with fake chips, violated Connecticut’s Act to Repeal Las Vegas Night Games. Enacted in 2003, the state law prohibits “the playing of a casino gambling game such as blackjack, poker, craps, roulette, or a slot machine.”
In an e-mail message to all Ezra Stiles students on Friday, Pitti wrote that the Connecticut Division of Special Revenue, which oversees gambling in the state, has “become more active in monitoring (and prosecuting) events of this sort over the past year,” making it impossible for the event to go forward as planned.