TWIN TEAM IN THE CHIPS

JUST IN TIME HITS JACKPOT WITH FUN GAMING BIZ

By LINDA A. FOX
Toronto Sun Big wheel keeps on turnin' -- and Just In Time Professional Casino Entertainment keeps on earnin'.
The wheel in question is for roulette. Then there's blackjack, craps, Caribbean stud poker, mini baccarat, faro, a horse race game and slot machines.
Just In Time, started by fraternal twins Judy Hatswell and brother John Monasterski in 1991, has all the professional gear and games of a big time casino, but the tables are used only for fun. The company caters to corporate functions, birthday parties and other special occasions where the guests want the challenge of gaming without the gambling.
The most you'll win is a great evening's entertainment and a handful of play money.
"Our family had always played a lot of cards and sometimes poker at family gatherings," says Hatswell, 43. "We really enjoyed the fun aspect, not the gambling."
Meanwhile, Hatswell was holding down a fulltime job at a cardboard container business, married to a police officer and raising a family. Her twin brother was working as a machinist and dabbling in the world of auto racing on the side.

DEALER COURSE
In 1988, the duo decided to take a professional course on how to deal cards and spin the roulette wheel. That led up a new and different career path.
"We started doing a few birthday parties for friends," says Monasterski. "By word of mouth, we got more and more business. At that point, I built our first real blackjack table from scratch."
(Did we mention as well as being a machinist and race car buff, he's also a talented finish carpenter and a whiz with needle and thread? Monasterski even sews the skirts that go around the tables and some of the felt tops!)
Just In Time became a real business, says Hatswell, after they decided to splurge on an ad in the Yellow Pages.
"Corporate clients began calling," says Hatswell, who then began to devote most of her time to the burgeoning business.
Since the increase in clientele, her brother has built several more tables, a horse racing game, and a solid maple roulette wheel in his workshop. All are finely detailed and collapsible for easy transport.
"The business is a real family affair," says Hatswell. "My husband helps out as do two of our other brothers, Ernie and Jim."
Just In Time prides itself on a professional look and service. "We all wear tuxedos and bow ties and our tables and equipment are kept in first rate condition," says Monasterski. "Often gaming equipment can get in pretty rough shape with cigarette burns on the felt and so on. We make sure we look as good as possible."
After you hire Just In Time for a party, they will come to your business, home or community hall and set up as many of the games as you want.
So far, they have thrown casino nights for some pretty high-powered corporate clients including Nike, Casino Montreal and Quebec Tourism, Gould Advertising, IBM, Livent, Amex, Labatt and Ticketmaster, just to name a few.
They have also entertained on summer party boat cruises in Toronto harbor.
"A lot of corporations put on an evening event as a thank-you for special projects or good sales," says Monasterski. "It's a way of rewarding the employees and letting them have fun."

FAMILY OPERATION
The twins each work from individual home offices, with brother John taking care of the bookkeeping and finances (and carpentry) while sister Judy looks after marketing, bookings and staffing.
"We have really grown from such a small beginning to a company that now has 26 different games and up to 30 employees, depending on how many functions have been booked," says Hatswell.
The horse racing game is familiar to most people who have ever been on a cruise. Usually, it's a group of wooden horses on a track which are then moved however many spaces a die is rolled. It's an on-deck favorite.
Just In Time has turned this into a table game with realistic little stuffed horses made from fur, with tiny saddles, and appropriate names.
The company recently expanded to a warehouse unit in Scarborough, where they store some of the equipment.
You can reach Just In Time Professional Casino Entertainment at 416-267-6087. The company just opened a website too. You can log on to http://www.justintime.on.ca or e-mail them at jitcasino@rogers.com