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New
pass allows young adults to have safe blackjack
birthdays in Las Vegas
By
Kara Oguishi
Online Forty-Niner
Staff Writer
Hitting
21 in Las Vegas just got a whole lot luckier,
now that the head blackjack fairy is in
town. Kara Bishop, head fairy and founder
of blackjackbirthday.com, has created an
exclusive VIP pass for anyone who is planning
on celebrating their 21st birthday in Las
Vegas.
The
pass is worth over $500 and earns the holder
special comps they can use if they agree
to not to drive while in Vegas.
"On
the biggest birthday of a young adult’s
life, I think it’s important that
there’s an alternative to sitting
at a bar or in a basement and being bored
enough to try drinking your age in shots
and/or attempting to drive home afterwards,"
Bishop said. "Vegas is the perfect
place to ‘go wild’ without needing
to get behind the wheel and I dare you to
try to be bored with the pass my Vegas friends
have put together just for you."
Marisela
Mendoza, sociology major, agrees that the
pass is the perfect thing to have for your
21st birthday.
"It
keeps them entertained the real way—through
entertainment such as clubs and shows,"
Mendoza said. "This should deter them
from just getting wasted in Vegas."
The
comps include perks such as "The Thunder
From Down Under" all-male review, Crazy
Girls and Showgirls of Magic (for the guys)
and front-of-the-line privileges at clubs
such Coyote Ugly and Studio 54.
Sociology
major Jennifer Guinto, 21, thinks that the
pass is a great idea for those soon to be
turning 21.
"I
think that it is worth it because you wouldn’t
want to drive in Vegas anyway, the strip
always has traffic on it and it takes forever
to go one way down it. I think that it is
a good way to promote safe drinking,"
Guinto says. "I was ‘cut off’
for the night at a local bar [on my 21st
birthday] and one of my friends was arrested
on his 21st birthday, so I think that it
is a good alternative for having a good
time and being safe."
Bishop
hopes to keep these "Vegas newbies"
from binge drinking or driving drunk on
their birthdays.
"In
this country, the sole job of the 21st birthday
fairy is to keep these brand new adults
from hurting themselves and/or others as
they celebrate ‘coming of age.’
It’s a big job," Bishop said.
The
pass is available at www.blackjackbirthday.com
for $35, a portion of which benefits various
college alcohol education programs. It is
only available to those turning 21 and has
a two-month window for usage. Friends will
only be able to enjoy the front-of-line
privilege at the clubs and not the other
comps.
"It
sounds like a perfect all-in-one pass, especially
for the big day when everyone is trying
to find the ‘perfect’ thing
to do on their birthday," Mendoza said.
"The $35 is really affordable."
In
2004 around 200 people reaped the benefits
of using the VIP pass. Bishop hopes that
millions more will join them, so she is
promoting a special offer.
"To
anyone reading this that was born in early
1984: if you’re going to Vegas in
March or April, be among the first 21 people
to send me a note at fairy@blackjackbirthday.com
including your travel dates, name, date
of birthday and contact info, and I’ll
send you a free Blackjack Birthday VIP Pass!"
Bishop said.
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