When to Look for Casino Opportunities

A key principle for landing a job in this business pertains to timing. You know – being at the right place at the right time.

Due to the nature of casino employment, with its fast pace and labor-intensive work, occasional long hours, and high-stress situations, employee turnover is frequent. Some people underestimate the commitment it takes to work on a casino floor. Others hire on with a casino for a short time to make some quick cash, then they quit or are laid off during the slow season. In fact, seasonal employment is quite common at casinos in Deadwood, South Dakota, Atlantic City, and in the Lake Tahoe area. A former dealer from a Lake Tahoe casino we interviewed strongly encouraged applicants to consider hiring on for the summer as a good way to break into this industry:

Our area is great for people breaking into the business. Casinos recruit from a lot of nearby college campuses, looking for students who want to earn some quick cash over the summer. That’s the busy time here. They send new recruits to a two-week dealer school and then put them on the floor working. By the end of the summer, these new dealers know the business inside out and have a pretty good bankroll, too. That is, if they can avoid the gaming tables themselves.

Others still receive promotions, creating entry-level openings. But the number one reason for employment opportunities relates directly to the tremendous growth of the industry. As mentioned earlier it’s boom time for casinos, with new ones staking their claims across the country.

Besides contacting the casinos included in our JobCenter, keep attuned to what’s happening around the country as local governments debate gaming issues. Obviously we can’t list casinos not yet built or pinpoint where new ones will appear, but you can review media reports, looking for news of additional states or cities legalizing gambling. It doesn’t take long for gambling establishments to come to town once the legalities fall into place.

All indications point toward a robust industry well into the next millennium as more and more communities embrace gambling as a way to generate tax revenues. With the rush of new places predicted to open in a recovering economy, employment for those who do their homework looks like a sure thing down the line.