Updated on: Oct 05, 2024
Are you approaching that milestone in your life where you can finally legally do everything you’ve imagined? Your 21st birthday officially heralds your entry into adulthood and true independence. Celebrate your newfound freedom with a casino night theme party of your dreams. It will remain the talk of the town for months after! But most importantly, don’t forget to go heavy on the drinks.
Casino Theme Party Decorations
A casino theme party calls for casino theme party decorations. Here are a few décor ideas that include gambling and Vegas ideas to try to turn your party area into a casino.
1. Fake Money
Poker is all about winning money and having fun! Play with this idea by buying fake money (or using Monopoly money) and setting it on various tables at your party!
2. Add Another Theme
You don’t have to decorate according to a traditional casino theme. All of the great Las Vegas casinos look different, so try decorating according to an Egyptian theme like the Luxor or an Italian theme like the Venetian. You can also choose a tropical or 50s theme inspired by the classic Vegas film, Viva Las Vegas. You could even go the extra mile and do a spy, James Bond theme if you are a fan of Daniel Craig's first Bond movie, Casino Royale.
3. Colors Scheme
When decorating your casino theme party, keep in mind the color scheme. The typical poker colors are red, black, and white. Look for these colors when decorating for your party and when purchasing things like balloons, streamers, ribbons, etc. You could hang red and black streamers up for an easy pop of color - a great addition for a casino themed birthday party!
4. Lighting
Casinos are generally low-lit, with most of the light coming from gambling machines. Make sure your party area is dimly lit as well and string some Christmas lights from the ceiling to give the effect of a casino. You can also string up lights in the shape of dice to further the casino theme.
5. Playing Cards
Go to your local party store and see if they sell large cards or other card game supplies to hang up around the room. If not, you can make large versions of cards such as hearts, spades, etc. You can also attach them to streamers so the cards hang down from the ceiling!
6. Poker Chips
An obvious decoration for your casino-themed party – poker chips! Grab large bags of poker chips to set out all over your tables and surfaces at your party. You can also include poker theme confetti or black and red confetti on the surfaces for an extra-special touch.
7. Gambling Game Signs
Hang signs around the room that say things like "blackjack", "roulette", "poker", etc. You can create these on construction paper or posterboard or buy them online. These are a perfect addition for you casino party decorations.
8. Green Felt Table Décor
If you don’t have poker tables, an alternative is to purchase a green felt tablecloth to put over the tables at your party to give the effect of a poker table. These are also great protective covers for your furniture surfaces as people eat and play games throughout the night. These are a must have if you are planning a Las Vegas theme party.
9. Photo Opportunities
Set up a photo booth or a casino-theme archway to decorate your entrance. Your guests will love having photos of the memories they had at your casino. Photo booths are popular with all types of parties, so keep this in mind next time you’re planning an event to upcycle and save money.
Casino Theme Party Favors
Favors are a great way to get guests excited because what better way to welcome people but with free stuff! If this is a birthday theme party, you can give out favors as well as gifts for the birthday person so everyone gets a little something special.
10. Lottery Tickets
Keep your guests in the gambling mood by giving them lottery tickets as a casino theme party prize. This is a great idea for your casino themed party. You can usually get them at a local gas station!
11. Dice Set
Give your guests a dice set to take home so that they can play their favorite casino games on their own time. You can also order a personalized dice set holder to make the favors that much more spectacular.
12. Lucky Rabbit’s Foot
What is gambling without a lucky charm? You can give your guests their very own lucky rabbit’s foot as they walk in the door and provide the luck for them! Encourage them to bring it with them to their next casino trip and thank you when they win big.
13. Casino Theme Party Favor Bags
Why not make the party favor bags themselves in theme! They are pleasing to the eye and guests can reuse them another time for small gifs.
14. Chocolate Playing Cards
These are a fantastic casino-theme treat. Give your guests a pack of chocolate cards tied together in a decorated favor bag. You could even ice cookies with melted chocolate yourself if you are feeling very creative. You could outline some hearts, spades, diamonds, or clovers onto the cookies!
15. Fuzzy Dice
Fuzzy dice are a popular casino-theme item. They are perfect for your guests to hang over their car’s rear view mirror or put on a keychain.
16. Themed Deck of Cards
Playing cards are another great favor. You can either purchase several novelty decks to give to your guests, like playing cards with images of Las Vegas on them or give a personalized deck with your very own text on the back of the deck.
Casino Theme Party Food Ideas
Make sure your menu fits with the rest of your party theme. Here are a few casino-theme party menu ideas that incorporate all the vibes perfectly.
17. Lollipops
Purchase lollipops in casino shapes like dice. Wrap several together and give each guest a casino-theme lollipop bouquet as a party favor or have them set up around the table in place of flowers.
18. Cocktails
Serve classic Vegas drinks like dirty martinis or lemon drops. Or, create your own signature birthday cocktail that can only be found at your very own casino. To add some fun, add a lemon or lime on the tip of the glass, maybe even dip the glass in some sugar for an added bonus.
19. Snacks
Give your guests options to munch on while they gamble. Serve plenty of poker foods that can be eaten one-handed like popcorn, chips, nuts, and candy. You could also add some professional mints as those fancy restaurants have. Arrange these in large bowls around the room so that your guests always have access to a handful.
20. Spicy
Spicy finger foods are a great idea for these kinds of parties. Some delicious spicy foods include chips with salsa, bruschetta, and wings. Make sure to have plenty of small casino-theme plates and napkins, found in the supplies section, for your guests to use.
21. Formal Options
If your casino theme is more formal, serve fancy foods like crab and artichoke dip or meatballs as hors d’oeuvres. You can serve these in a chafing dish or you can carry them around on silver platters to serve your guests, it will make everyone feel rich enough to spend some money in a casino
22. Cake
A dice-shaped cake makes for the perfect casino-theme dessert. You can make one yourself with a cubed cake pan or you can purchase one already made. When making one yourself, simply frost the cake white and use black candy circles or Oreos for extra detail. You can also be creative and try to create a cake in the shape of card suits. For instance, you can cut a rectangular cake into a diamond shape or frost three small round cakes together to create a club. If you don't have any cake-making skills, a themed cake topper would serve just fine. Or if you would rather go the healthy route, try one of our health-conscious desserts!
23. Cookies
Cut sugar cookies into casino theme party-inspired shapes to look like poker chips or card suits, then frost them and serve them on a large platter.
Casino Theme Party Activities and Games
Here is a list of activities and ideas you can use to turn your party area into an authentic casino. Make sure that you have plenty of card decks so that all your guests can play various games at once.
24. Darts
One competitive and fun game to play at your casino theme party is darts! This is a simple game that most people love to play to pass time. It’s also a very social game, and your guests will be able to play while they are mingling and having a good time.
25. Drinking Games
First and foremost, a 21st birthday casino theme party celebration is incomplete without insane amounts of drinking; your casino theme party should be no different. When your guests are tipsy, the casino games will become all the more fun and they will let loose by simply immersing themselves in the theme! You can play classic games such as beer pong and Never Have I Ever or even card-based drinking games like King’s Cup to adhere to the casino theme.
26. Games of Chance
You don’t have to stick to just casino games at your party. Enlighten your guests with classic games like checkers, crazy eights, BINGO, UNO, or even UNO attack, which I know from experience can get relentless. There are also tons of themed bingo cards that can be used.
27. Dice Games
Dice games can make for a huge blast in casino settings. Some games require the only dice while others require special tables. This is a perfect time for everyone to break out their "good luck" rolls.
28. Texas Hold 'em
This game is perfect for a casino party as it is generally played against the casino itself rather than other players. It is a variation on poker where each player is dealt two cards, while five cards are placed face-up in the middle of the table.
29. Roulette
A roulette wheel is an easy way to give your casino party a more authentic feel. It is also a great game for guests who are beginners in the gambling scene and don’t know how to play popular casino games. You can even include the wheel in your drinking games
30. 5-Card Stud
This is another variation of poker where each player is dealt two cards, one face up and one face down. Since poker is a very popular casino game, any variation would suffice for your casino party. Besides the two listed here, there are many other variations to choose from.
31. Video Games
If you’re having a more laid-back party, why not have virtual video games as one of the activities? This option is always popular at parties, you can even have headsets laid out for guests. You can have interactive video games as well, using the Wii and the XBOX Kinect!
32. Baccarat
This idea is suggested solely for the reason that this is the game James Bond plays in Casino Royale. This is where the guests fall into heroes, or villains of the game, and true colors must come out. It may be somewhat hard to pull off but, hey, if James Bond could play it to save the world, you can probably set it up if needed.
33. Auction
An auction is an excellent way for your guests to spend the money (real or fake) they won during the evening. You can even get yourself a gavel so you feel important and powerful. Make it a white elephant auction with plenty of silly and interesting items to bid on.
34. Casino Field Trip
Take your guests on a trip to an actual casino for a casino birthday party you will always remember! They will have multiple poker tables to play at, and a number of game options to choose from. The options are unlimited: from slots to blackjack, the fun will never end!
35. Karaoke
Almost every casino has some form of a karaoke night. This is also a fun way to keep your guests entertained while they are playing casino games. Rent a karaoke machine and let your guests sing their hearts out. You can also hold a competition and award prizes for the best, the cheesiest, and the most hilarious performances. Karaoke is perfect for many types of parties, not just for your casino night.
To up the stakes in all of these games, make bets on drinking alcohol instead of winning or losing money! The party will surely be a night to remember.
Casino Theme Party Supplies
36. Casino Theme Party Napkins
These casino theme napkins are so fun you almost need no other decoration. They fit the theme and go so over the top that with a few drinks in everyone, the whole party will be embracing these napkins for the genius that they are.
37. Casino Theme Party Plates
As we mentioned previously, keep in mind the colors when choosing your casino-themed decorations. The same goes for choosing your tableware, make sure the plates and silverware you choose are either red, black, or white and fit with your theme.
38. Casino Coasters
These coasters will liven up, as well as protect any surfaces for drinks. The variety of colors adds a little spunk and is directly in theme!
39. Classic Poker Table Cover
If you’re serving food at your event, why not serve it on poker tables? Or at least fake ones. They go perfectly with the theme of your party and your guests will feel like they are at a real casino.
40. Casino Theme Party Cups
Getting some sort of disposable cups will be really helpful for an easy clean-up and guests can write their name on the cups with a sharpie so there's no confusion. Cups in theme add to the decoration and fun of the event.
Casino Theme Party Invitations
41. Las Vegas Postcards
Las Vegas is one of the largest gambling cities in America. Purchase several postcards with images of the vivacious Las Vegas skyline or specific Las Vegas hotels and write your party details on the back. These are perfect if you are going to purchase decorations for a Las Vegas themed party.
42. Casino Theme Party Items
Send your guests casino items like playing cards, martini glasses, a pair of dice, or gambling chips personalized with party details for a unique invite!
43. James Bond Casino Royale Invitation
Why not give a toast to the iconic James Bond movie, Casino Royale and send guests on a spy adventure. These invitations would be so fun to entice people to dress nice or bring their best spy gear. During the party, it'd be fun to test who can deliver the most stoic "the name's Bond. James Bond." With this invitation, you could go all in and send them secret identities or names/backgrounds they have to adhere to during your Casino Royale theme party.
44. Classic Casino Night Invitation
No shame in sending a simple invitation that sets up the theme right away. This one is very exciting and personalized for your special event.
45. Online Invitation
In this day and age, you may need to consider sending an online invitation to guests. Everyone hates checking their emails unless... they get a special party invitation incoming. Send your guests a surprise with a fun online invite! You can go with so many different casino themes with this approach.
Greenenvelope
Written by Jessica Bundy, Shannyn Apolaro and Aditi Parikh; Contributors: Jack Leduc, Christopher Yanchoris, Colin McGann and Ashley Cimarolli