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Casino: Dead Money
$49.95
Add intrigue to your next party with this murder mystery game, set in Las Vegas casino.
Format:
Mystery Party Kit
Setting:
A casino
Time:
90+ minutes
Ages:
Adult
Players:
Don’t walk away from the table. Run.
Backstory
The guests have been invited to an evening of gambling and entertainment at the Lady Lux, a casino owned by the wealthy Dona Mancini. The guest list includes a number of gambling enthusiasts—from high rollers to novices—as well as the performers, dealers, and other staff employed by Dona Mancini. Everyone is expecting an evening replete with games of chance, dinner, drinks, and maybe a show—they aren’t expecting a power outage, the murder of a member of the surveillance team, or a lockdown that prevents them from leaving the casino.
This mystery is divided into two primary segments. During the first portion of the evening (Act One), the events take place in the gaming area of the Lady Lux, a casino and night club owned by the wealthy Dona Mancini. The partygoers will have the opportunity to eat, drink, and play games of chance. The evening will progress as a largely normal party (though there will be some degree of intrigue built into the characters’ actions).
Suspicious Death!
At the midpoint of the evening, the power goes out in the casino. When the generator kicks in and the lights come back on, someone screams—the sound coming from somewhere outside the gaming area. Upon investigation, the casino staff find that a person has dropped dead in the employee restroom. Was it foul play? The tension escalates when the partygoers realize that the casino’s security system has locked them in the building—possibly with a murderer in their midst! The Casino Operations Manager—played by the Host/Hostess and aided by the armed Security Manager—directs the guests into a back room and demands that everyone hand over their cell phones. The characters are uneasy but have no choice but to comply. When everyone has filed into the other room, the second segment begins.
Act Two opens with the characters huddled together in the surveillance room. Surrounded by screens and monitors, every nook and cranny of the casino is on display. They are frightened and suspicious of one another and of the casino staff, who suddenly seem less than friendly—and maybe more than a little shady.
Solving the Mystery
The group’s goals are threefold. First, they must determine whether the victim died of natural causes. Second, if foul play is suspected, they must determine who amongst them had the motive and the means to have carried out the deed. Third, they must find a way to alert law enforcement to the fact that they are being detained against their wills, preferably before any members of the group decide to administer justice themselves.
Assuming they are able to accomplish these goals, the players will also want to claim their winnings.
There are 24 primary suspects in this mystery, however only 10 are required to play the game. The host or hostess will play the role of the Casino Operations Manager, a character who keeps the party on track and helps to advance the action. Read the "How To Play" section for more information on how to play an expanded game with more than 24 guests.
* = Optional character
Male Roles
- Gino Cabella (The Security Manager): Gino Cabella is well dressed, soft-spoken, and cold-as-ice. He worked for Don Mancini for many years.
- Jake Morrison (The Gambler): A gambling addict and loveable scoundrel, Jake Morrison’s greatest pleasures in life are fine whisky, fine women, fine cigars, and the lure of the poker table (in no particular order).
- *John Maynard (The Security Guard): Effectively a rent-a-cop, John Maynard couldn’t cut it on the police force and security work seemed like the next best thing.
- *Larry Chastain (The Businessman): A businessman from Rhode Island, Larry Chastain is in town to meet with clients and have a little fun.
- Lorenzo Calderone (The Bodyguard): Lorenzo Chalderone is Dona “Toni” Mancini’s handsome, young bodyguard.
- Louie Lepinski (The Driver): Louie Lepinski is Michael Von Ammon’s chauffeur and confidante.
- Michael Von Ammon (The High Roller): The well-to-do owner of the pleasure yacht the Elizabeth May, Captain Von Ammon is a rakish playboy type and well liked by most.
- *Mortimer Stout (The Banker): Mortimer Stout is a financial genius who has a better understanding of accounting than he does of people.
- *Vincenzo the Amazing (The Magician): Vincenzo the Amazing astounds the casino’s audiences with deft acts of prestidigitation and awe-inspiring illusions every Friday and Saturday night.
Female Roles
- Anna Luciano (The Mistress): Anna Luciano was Don Mancini’s mistress when he was alive. She is a sultry beauty, and men flock to her.
- *Bette Fitz (The Waitress): Attractive but not as young as she once was, Bette is a little rough around the edges after years of hard work, harassment by customers, and chain-smoking.
- Dona Antonietta “Toni” Mancini (The Widow): Widow of Don Mancini, Dona Antonietta was willed the Lady Lux casino after the Don’s untimely death. After years spent running the casino by her husband’s side, she is a shrewd businesswoman who is not to be trifled with.
- Kat Bloomberg (The Surveillance Manager): Kat Bloomberg, the Surveillance Manager for the Lady Lux, handles all of the surveillance hardware for the casino.
- *Marvella Malcolm (The Magician’s Assistant): Assistant to Vincenzo the Amazing, Marvella Malcolm is the eye candy of the stage act.
- *Nancy Plimpton (The Saleswoman): Nancy Plimpton, a saleswoman from Dallas, is in town for a training seminar.
- *Regina Guissepe (The Bartender): Polite, professional, and very discrete, Regina Guiseppe has a sympathetic ear into which the loose lips of imbibing patrons can pour their stories.
- Shawna LaBeau (The Showgirl): Glamorous, bawdy, and with legs for miles, Shawna LaBeau performs with a Rockettes-like dance troupe at the Lady Lux.
Male or Female Roles
- *Casey Parker (Dealer): A university student equally capable of running the poker, blackjack, or craps tables, Casey Parker has worked at the Lady Lux for two semesters.
- *Chris Lund (Tourist): Chris Lund is a tourist on vacation with partner Pat Thompson. Chris and Pat have lived in a rural town in Minnesota their entire lives, and this is their first visit to the Big City.
- *Jesse Martin (Dealer): Equally capable of running the poker, blackjack, or craps tables, Jesse Martin has worked at the Lady Lux for two years.
- Lee Strauss (Dealer): Equally capable of running the poker, blackjack, or craps tables, Lee Strauss has worked at the Lady Lux for a number of years.
- *Mo Berry (Dealer): Equally capable of running the poker, blackjack, or craps tables, Mo Berry has worked at the Lady Lux for the past three months.
- *Pat Thompson (Tourist): Pat Thompson is a tourist on vacation with partner Chris Lund. Pat and Chris have lived in a rural town in Minnesota their entire lives, and this is their first visit to the Big City.
- *Louie Lepinski (Driver): Michael Von Ammon's chauffeur and confidante, Louie has also moonlighted as a driver for the casino's Security Manager on occassion.
- Carla Lewis (Cashier): (Played by the guest that played the victim in Act One) Responsible for handling all the money and records of patrons' debts and credits, Carla Lewis is familiar with the regular patrons as a result of handling their frequent transactions.
- Vic(toria) Angelo (The Casino Operations Manager): (Played by the Host/Hostess) Responsible for the day-to-day operations of the casino, Vic Angelo answers directly to Dona Mancini, the casino’s owner.
Extra Players
- *Investigator (male or female): Additional players have the option of playing the role of "Investigators". In this role the players are not suspects and do not have character backgrounds but can question the suspects and try to solve the mystery along with the other players.
What's Included
Casino: Dead Money is a 111-page downloadable PDF file that you print at home. It includes the following features: An introduction that explains the basic principles of running a mystery-party and provides specific tips on props, menu items, sound effects, combat and special tips to help make your party exciting, memorable and easy to run Step-by-step instructions on how to prepare for your party A detailed party guidebook that will walk you through the event in a simple, easy-to-understand format Instructions on how to run the party for a large group Nametags and character sheets for each player - the character sheets include tips on costuming and role-playing, as well special goals and information unique to each character Fully customizable invitations, complete with RSVP cards and guest lists 10 illustrated clue cards the players can use to solve the mystery Voting sheets Customizable awards for your guests And much more! With your purchase of Dead Money you will also receive the following: Step-by-step printing instructions Five mp3 audio effects for use with your party Instructions on how to use these audio clips to best effectFollow these steps to host this mystery:
- Each guest will each assume the role of a particular character
Mystery Parties involve a combination of improvisational acting, storytelling, and creative problem solving. Each guest will play the part of that character throughout the course of the game. Each character has specific personality traits, goals, secrets, and information, all of which are included in the character sheet; a big part of the fun is getting into character and taking on a new, exciting role. - A mysterious Event will occur
At some point during the party, an Event will occur that will force the players to come together in order to solve a problem or unravel a mystery. Traditionally, the Event in question will be the murder of one of the characters (as played by a guest), but the parties crafted by Playing With Murder often use this basic framework to accommodate different types of Events, thereby ensuring that your guests will be surprised and entertained (even if they are veteran murder mystery party players). - Solve the mystery!
Your guests will need to use the information that their characters know (as well as additional clues that are provided during the game) to solve the mystery or overcome the problem posed by the Event. Typically this culminates in the guests voting on the identity of the murderer, but again, different parties will have different specific goals. All of our parties also come complete with additional subgames (treasure hunts, unique character goals and special puzzles) that are guaranteed to keep the action intense and your guests motivated and focused.
Expanded Game For Large Groups
If you have extra players, there are two ways that you can accommodate everyone:
- Investigator Role – Additional players have the option of playing the role of “Investigators”. In this role the players are not suspects and do not have character backgrounds but can question the suspects and try to solve the mystery along with the other players. Expanded Games include a PDF guide that explains how to use the Investigator role, as well as printable character sheets and name tags for anyone that is playing an Investigator.
- Multiple Groups – It is also possible to break your guests up into groups and play multiple instances of the game at the same time. The game will more or less happen the same way; the host makes announcements and each group moves their game forward simultaneously based on the host’s instructions. It’s good to have one assistant in each group to answer questions and facilitate gameplay within the group. This method provides a more intimate experience for your guests, who get better acquainted with a smaller group and participate in a more digestible story.Please contact us if you’d like more information about how to run your party using the Multiple Groups method.
Both the standard and expanded games are included with the purchase of any game kit.
Read more about Expanded Games here
First time hosting a murder mystery party?
Visit our How to Host a Mystery Party page to get step-by-step instructions on how to prepare for your murder mystery party.
Content Rating:
This party is rated adult. While there is no explicit material, the party does contain references to the following:
- Infidelity and extramarital affairs
- Gambling
- Drug and alcohol use
- Prostitution and trafficking
- Assault
- Murder
Difficulty:
This party is moderately complex to set up. We recommend a venue with at least two rooms and a sufficient area to hide clues for the scavenger hunt. For a more detailed and involved setting, consider setting up some gambling games that guests can play while mingling.
This party is average difficulty to solve.
RD –
This kit was a great starting point! I embellished the character sheets and used AI to great renditions of people be further reinforce the “vibe” we were going for w/ their character. We also made a dummy body the the ending and left notes about injuries or lack of injuries on the body so that it could be investigated as part of the scene. I also wrote an “epilogue” for each character for the end which was hilarious and has continued as a running joke in our group. We needed to use one of the “extra” characters but wanted her to have a rich backstory too so she played the part of one of the tourists but I added the twist that she was actually an FBI agent! She ended up having one of the best roles of the night and came in 2nd place for best personality!
I tend to do the extra mile embellishing things, I this kit gave me a 70% start, I added another 25% and used AI for the other 5%. Over all an excellent kit & plot!
One major draw back was that the killer is informed in Act 2 that they are the killer. This ruins the experience for that person because they do not get to guess the killer. I rewrote that part so that they could play along.
I also changed the sound track to be jazzy music and found some lock down alarm sound effects for bridging Act 1 & 2.
David Pascoe –
We had so much fun with this scenario! Ran it with 21 people, leaving out only 3 characters.
Bought for my wife’s birthday party, we rented a local community hall and spent the weeks in advance going to op-shops (thrift shops) looking for tablecloths, casino chips, and general decorations to make it look fantastic. Once the characters were sent out, all our friends made an amazing effort to look their parts! The costumes were incredible!
I’ve only shared some of them here, but damn they nailed it!
The actual murder mystery is a bit difficult for a lot of people; there are a number of specific clues that aren’t super obvious. We were missing only 3 of the characters and it still made it quite a challenge. No one managed to guess what happened!
Still, it was a lot of fun!
This whole concept lives or dies on your friends. That’s my big piece of advice to anyone considering it. If the people you invite treat it as a bit of fun, don’t take it too seriously and make a bit of effort to get dressed up and into the spirit of things: you will have an absolute blast running this. We definitely did.
Delaney Long –
Overall this was a great murder mystery party but it was a TON of work and very time consuming to get set up. The game/packet could definitely be updated and made more user friendly. I chose to make all props and surveillance footage as I thought it would make it more engaging. We had 4 tables of casino games (roulette, craps, blackjack, and LCR dice game that was easy for all. Reading everything and choosing everyone’s roles to fit their personality was pretty important to our groups success.
Selina –
We played with 35 players and ALL had a BLAST! What a terrific storyline. Interesting characters!! Fun scenarios!! Just perfect!
Sherry C –
We had an absolute blast playing this game! All that came with the game was extremely helpful and a great guide for us. There were 25 of us playing and everyone got really into it which helped so much! We played during New Year’s Eve which was extremely fun. I would definitely get another game from them! Unfortunately, I did not take any photos to submit.
Barb –
I purchased this game for NYE and due to unforeseen circumstances, we weren’t’ able to play it. Casino-Dead Money looks incredible; we look forward to playing it soon.
On a separate note, Ken is a wonderful business owner and helped me with all my questions. He truly wants the customers to be happy.
I would absolutely buy another Murder Mystery game from Ken in the future. You won’t be disappointed!
Bree –
As the operations manager your role plays into the evening so well. Though you know who the murderer is, you still get to be in character and it’s natural for your character to facilitate the evening. Highly recommend!
Tamijo –
I hosted a casino theme murder mystery party on NYE. I had different tables set up with card games like black jack, high low, red or black, etc.
Most everyone had never done one before. They all enjoyed it and said they would do it again.
You definitely need the people who play active roles to take it somewhat serious and fulfill the requirements. I had a couple of party poopers…lol
This one seemed a little more complex so I wish I spent more than 1 week reading the script and preparing.
All and all I recommend, it was a great time. I was so nervous I forget 2 small extra treats I added and took no pictures.
Tammy –
The Murder Mystery Party was a hit! Everyone had a great time and wants to do it again. Even the ones who I thought wouldn’t get into it played their part really well. I wrote reminders and handed them out to the character as the night went on to give them ideas on how to interact with others and keep the story line going. The story line was great. We only had one person figure out the mystery. It’s a lot of information to read and the host/hostess needs to know the story and each characters objectives really well so it’s a lot of work for the host but I would definitely recommend it.
Megan E –
We played the MM with a party of 25 people on our family vacation. It was a blast! We rented a huge house for the week and the house was a “Clue House”, so it fit our theme perfectly. Everyone played up their roles and enjoyed gambling…we rented real games/tables such as blackjack, craps and roulette.
Elle –
I hosted a casino dead money themed murder mystery for my 25th birthday, which turned out really well! Everyone got dressed up and really got into character. We all played poker for most of it which was fun. Bought some themed cheap party decorations online which made for a good background in the group photo.
Only one person guessed who the killer was, so I think there were a lot of clues that threw a lot of people off! The killer also did a good job of being unsuspecting.
The only thing I’d say is because most of us were couples and some relatives, some of the actions were a bit of a conflict of interest so a bit harder to act in character fully for some.
Overall a really fun night, the discussion at the end was quite entertaining as well!
timminschic –
Had a great time doing this party. I did it for my 40th birthday party, we only had a group of 8 but made it work. Lots of laughs, fun and mystery. Only had 1 person correctly guess the killer. So was fun to figure out who did it.
A Greene –
We hosted Dead money for NYE. Many of our guests didn’t know each other and with everyone in character, you’d never know it. Having casino games I play made the party flow and made mingling and accomplishing objectives easier and more natural.
I thought the scripts for the hostess were a little confusing. I’d prefer that the scripts be pre recorded by the company and on an audio download. From script 2-3-4, it got confusing as to what takes place before/after so if the scripts were an audio clip and in order, it would clear up questions with timeline. Of course, having alcohol involved things tend to get a little more confusing.
I loved that this party allowed for extra last minute guests with generic characters. A lot of other companies required you have a pretty firm number of guests and order kits by that number. Playing with Murder was much more flexible and why I chose this party over another.
As far as the party, everyone enjoyed it. 2 people successfully solved the mystery and we had 2 red herrings with more votes.
Brandy –
Was a fun night with friends however the story line was so thin, murderer was obvious, motive and means were lacking.
Matt –
Casino dead money was fantastic!!! The decorations, the acting, and the friends made for a wonderful evening. And the murder mystery was suspenseful. We will be doing another soon!
Luke –
We used this kit for a hallowe’en party and it was a hit! In addition to the mystery game, we had casino games including poker, roulette, craps, and blackjack running for guests to win “money” and included awards at the end in addition to those included in the kit. We had some of the guests come over weeks before to film some behind the scenes videos that played along with the story, and included physical versions of all the props instead of the cut outs. There were some aspects of the story that didn’t quite make sense after a few glasses of wine, but overall the story was great, and the guests really connected with their characters. Overall fantastic party.
Partygirl –
Dead Money Murder Mystery was for my Birthday. Everyone participated and got into character. They all had an amazing time. They still are talking about the party weeks later. We are definitely going to do another one for New Years. They all can’t wait.
Danielle J –
Wow! What a night we had playing Casino: Dead Money. It was a spur of the moment decision to host a murder mystery party for our son’s 19th birthday party. We had planned on being away but at the last minute our plans had to be changed. I purchased the download on Monday morning (around 9am) and everyone turned up in costumes at 6pm the same day. I spent ALL day organising food, props, character profiles etc. We had about 15 guests, mainly 19 year olds, all playing a unique character. They had a blast. We were fortunate enough to have had some experience hosting murder mystery evenings before so we knew what was involved and could improvise a bit – I wouldn’t suggest leaving it so late to organise if you’ve never done one before. We also have a large house where we could set up different zones: the Casino was upstairs in our pool room where we had a poker table set up, pool table and nibblies (cheeses, kabana, dips, crackers, punch). Downstairs in the lounge area was the surveillance area where we had video footage of the casino playing on the TV. The dining room was set up formally where we had a sit down dinner and continued/finished the murder mystery evening. The download was easy to follow, everyone got into character and the instructions given were great.
Jensenl1 –
We had so much fun! I planned this party for my husband’s birthday party. It was a great time the guests had a great time.
Holly –
This was my first time hosting a murder mystery and we had such a fun night! We only had a group of 11 and had the wrong number of girls/ guys to work with necessary characters. I changed some of the roles to be female and it still worked fine.
C.Lai –
We were hosting a Halloween party with costumes, but wanted to try something to keep us entertained through the night. It was AMAZING! I was worried some people might not want to get into their characters, or it would be hard with the costumes, but it worked GREAT. All my friends have said we have to do it again because it was so fun!
Paula H –
I hosted the Casino Dead Money at the Elks lodge I belong to and let me tell you it was so much fun! It was the first for our lodge and for many it was the first time ever attending one of these. All of the roles were filled and there were lots of investigators. It honestly took me months to prepare for this and because of that it was a huge success! Everyone was definitely into their parts! I highly recommend this kit but be prepared to put a lot of effort into it. It is complicated because there is A LOT to prepare for.
Vic –
We had a fantastic night and all our guests commented on how fun the night was. The kit was fantastic, well thought out and detailed. As host I wish I had planned the clues better and really understood their connection to solving the mystery. It would be great if the host info had some more “must do” summary points as it was a lot to read!
Melissa M –
Due to Covid 19, we have been stuck at home except for work. We had an amazing night with Casino Dead Money. The game was fun and challenging. My guests can’t wait until the next murder mystery dinner party
This was my first murder mystery game. The packet was easy to use and everything I needed to plan my party was included. I will definitely be ordering another game.
Lex –
A night at Lady Lux casino!! We had 20 guests, The party was catered, We had several game tables set up. Everyone really loved playing blackjack and getting into character! The murder was a shock and solving was fun! Everyone said it was the best party and we are all looking forward to a new murder mystery dinner party!
L.T. –
For my husband’s birthday party our family played Dead Casino. Their ages range from 16 to 67. I have staged mystery parties for them in the past, but nothing as elaborate as Dead Casino. All the players loved it and said that this mystery party was the best one we’ve done so far.
I had planned the party for the 10 “required” participants, but the day of the party one of the players got sick and could not attend. Although an essential character, the player was not “key” to solving the mystery and we easily worked around the player’s absence.
I did spend the required effort to create a space that resembled a casino with the slot machine banner from the party store and creating a loop using the game-supplied background casino noises. We played roulette and blackjack. Everyone remarked about how much they loved playing the casino games as part of the mystery party — it kept the players interested and the night moving along.
I highly recommend this party. Your guests will never forget it!
Miche –
Casnino Night with a twist! This was so much fun. We can’t wait to do it again!
dhetman –
The package did not allow for a large enough group so I purchased a different game set in the same location and combined them. It turned out great but I would like to see ones that can handle groups of 30-50 or more
Jenny’s –
Would highly recommend doing this kit! We went ALL out for my 29th. This kit is great because during the mingling and solving the murder we all played roulette, blackjack, poker. Everyone got so in to it! People who were really not up for it initially said it was the best party they had been to. Only downside is Some characters need a bit of sprucing up because your guests effectively become waitresses/waiters which isn’t much fun for them.
Esther –
We held a murder mystery style family Christmas Party