Luck was on the side of the Dawson County Humane Society on Aug. 28 as volunteers collected proceeds from the inaugural Lucky Dog Casino fundraiser.

“We raised just over $9,000,” said President Carolyn Bowen. “We’re very happy with that.”

The event, which transformed the Dawsonville Municipal Complex into a Vegas-style casino complete with cigarette girls, featured Craps, Blackjack, Roulette, Texas Hold ’Em and professional dealers.

Unlike Vegas where the house usually wins, the night’s winners were the more than 200 dogs and cats temporarily living at the local animal shelter.

“It takes a lot of money to operate a shelter,” Bowen said.

Proceeds from the night will support the shelter’s general operating budget, which includes the care and housing of the animals until they can be adopted, as well as the shelter’s adoption and spay and neutering programs.

The shelter must also follow strict, regulated guidelines set by the department of agriculture, which is a great expense to the shelter, according to Bowen.

Board member Pepper Pettit spent much of Saturday night rallying the players to spend more for the cause.

Holding up his phone to show off pictures of a Golden Retriever he and his wife rescued, he said: “This right here is why I do it.”

Society volunteers said they hope to hold the event again next year.

“As everyone was leaving, they all told us what a great time they had and how we should do this again,” Bowen said. “We raised a lot of money for the animals.”