Gaming services workers held about 173,100 jobs in 2018. Employment in the detailed occupations that make up gaming services workers was distributed as follows:
| Gaming dealers | 95,500 |
| First-line supervisors of gaming workers | 49,700 |
| Gaming and sports book writers and runners | 11,700 |
| Gaming service workers, all other | 10,300 |
| Gaming managers | 5,900 |
The largest employers of gaming services workers were as follows:
| Local government, excluding education and hospitals | 24% |
| Self-employed workers | 13 |
| Spectator sports | 5 |
Some gaming services occupations are physically demanding. Gaming dealers spend most of their shift standing behind a table. Although managers and supervisors may spend some limited time working in an office, they must frequently walk up and down the casino floor.
A casino atmosphere also may expose gaming services workers to hazards such as secondhand smoke from cigarettes, cigars, or pipes. Noise from slot machines, gaming tables, and loud customers may be distracting to some, although workers may wear protective headgear in areas where machinery is used to count money.
Work Schedules
Most casinos are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Employees are often scheduled to work nights, weekends, and holidays, which are typically the busiest times for casinos.
Most gaming jobs require a high school diploma or equivalent. Some casinos may require gaming managers to have a college degree. In addition, all gaming services workers must have excellent customer-service skills.
Education
Gaming dealers, gaming supervisors, sports book writers and runners, and slot supervisors typically need a high school diploma or equivalent. Educational requirements for gaming managers, however, differ by casino. Although some casinos may only require a high school diploma or equivalent, others require gaming managers to have a college degree. Those who choose to pursue a degree may study hotel management, hospitality, or accounting in addition to taking formal management classes.
Training
Individual casinos or other gaming establishments have their own training requirements. New gaming dealers may be sent to gaming school for a few weeks to learn a casino game, such as blackjack or craps. These schools teach the rules and procedures of the game, as well as state and local laws and regulations related to the game.
Although gaming school is primarily for new employees, some experienced dealers have to go to gaming school if they want to be trained in a new casino game.
Completing gaming school before being hired may increase a prospective dealer’s chances of being hired, but it does not guarantee a job. Casinos usually audition prospective dealers for open positions to assess their personal qualities.
Gaming and sports book writers and runners usually do not have to go to gaming school. They can be trained by the casino in less than 1 month. The casino teaches them state and local laws and regulations related to the game, as well the particulars of their job, such as keno calling.
Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations
Gaming services workers must be licensed by a state regulatory agency, such as a state casino control board or gaming commission. Licensing requirements for supervisory or managerial positions may differ from those for gaming dealers, gaming and sports book writers and runners, and all other gaming workers. However, all applicants for a license must provide photo identification and pay a fee. They also must typically pass an extensive background check and drug test. Failure to pass the background check may prevent candidates from getting a job or a gaming license.
Age requirements also vary by state. For specific licensing requirements, visit the state’s gaming commission website.
Work Experience in a Related Occupation
Gaming and slot supervisors and gaming managers usually have several years of experience working in a casino. Gaming supervisors often have experience as a dealer or in the customer outreach department of the casino. Slot supervisors usually have experience as a slot technician or slot attendant. Some also may have worked in entry-level marketing or customer-service positions.
Advancement
Gaming managers are often promoted from positions as slot or gaming supervisors. They also may be moved from a management job in another part of the resort, such as hospitality, after learning about casino operations through an internship or on-the-job training.
Gaming dealers can advance to gaming supervisors and eventually managers. A slot supervisor can also advance to gaming manager.
Gaming services workers typically have an interest in the Building, Persuading and Organizing interest areas, according to the Holland Code framework. The Building interest area indicates a focus on working with tools and machines, and making or fixing practical things. The Persuading interest area indicates a focus on influencing, motivating, and selling to other people. The Organizing interest area indicates a focus on working with information and processes to keep things arranged in orderly systems.
If you are not sure whether you have a Building or Persuading or Organizing interest which might fit with a career as a gaming services worker, you can take a career test to measure your interests.
Gaming services workers should also possess the following specific qualities:
Communication skills. Gaming services workers must be able to explain the rules of the game to customers and answer any questions they have. Simple misunderstandings can cost a customer a lot of money and damage the reputation of the casino.
Customer-service skills. All gaming jobs involve a lot of interaction with customers. The success or failure of a casino depends on how customers view the casino, making customer service important for all gaming services occupations.
Leadership skills. Gaming managers and supervisors oversee other gaming services workers and must be able to guide them in doing their jobs and developing their skills.
Math skills. Because they deal with large amounts of money, many casino workers must be good at math.
Organizational skills. Gaming managers and supervisors must be well organized to handle administrative and other tasks required in overseeing gaming services workers.
Patience. All gaming services workers have to be able to keep their composure when they handle a customer who becomes upset or breaks a rule. They must also be patient in dealing with equipment failure of malfunction.
The median annual wage for gaming services workers was $23,520 in May 2019. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $17,270, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $58,930.
Median annual wages for gaming services workers in May 2019 were as follows:
| Gaming managers | $74,970 |
| First-line supervisors of gaming workers | 50,710 |
| Gaming service workers, all other | 28,300 |
| Gaming and sports book writers and runners | 24,750 |
| Gaming dealers | 21,260 |
In May 2019, the median annual wages for gaming services workers in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
| Spectator sports | $25,050 |
| Local government, excluding education and hospitals | 25,000 |
Most casinos are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Employees are often scheduled to work nights, weekends, and holidays, which are typically the busiest times for casinos.
Employment of gaming services workers is projected to grow 5 percent from 2018 to 2028, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Growth will vary by detailed occupation (see table).
Employment will be driven by the increasing popularity of gambling establishments. Additional states currently without commercial gaming establishments may allow new casinos to be built over the next decade in an effort to bring in more tax revenue.
As more states approve expansions in the number of gaming establishments, the competition for customers will increase. Those establishments that fail to keep or attract customers may close, thereby negating some of the jobs created from new casinos.
Job Prospects
Although jobs are expected to open as workers leave the occupation, strong competition is expected for jobs at casinos. Those with work experience in customer service at a hotel or resort should have better job prospects because of the importance of customer service in casinos.
Those already with a gaming license and knowledge and training in different casino games will have the best job prospects.
For more information about gaming services workers, visit