Summary
Gaming services workers serve customers in gambling establishments, such as casinos or racetracks.
What they do
Gaming services workers tend slot machines or deal cards. Others take bets or pay out winnings. Still others supervise or manage gaming workers and operations.
Gaming services workers typically do the following:
- Interact with customers and ensure that they have a pleasant experience
- Monitor customers for violations of gaming regulations or casino policies
- Inform their supervisor or a security employee of any irregularities they observe
- Enforce safety rules and report hazards
- Explain how to play the games to customers
The following are examples of types of gaming services workers:
Gaming managers and supervisors direct and oversee the gaming operations and personnel in their assigned area. Supervisors circulate among the tables to make sure that everything is running smoothly and that all areas are properly staffed. Gaming managers and supervisors typically do the following:
- Keep an eye on customers and employees to ensure compliance with all gaming and casino rules
- Communicate with other departments if security or customer-service issues arise
- Address customers’ complaints about service
- Explain house operating rules, such as betting limits, if customers do not understand them
- Ensure payouts are correct
- Schedule when and where employees in their section will work
- Interview, hire, and train new employees
Slot supervisors oversee the activities of the slot department. The job duties of this occupation have changed significantly, as slot machines have become more automated in recent years. Because most casinos use slot machines that give out tickets instead of cash and thus require very little oversight, workers in this occupation spend most of their time providing customer service to slot players. Slot supervisors typically do the following:
- Watch over the slot section and ensure that players are satisfied with the games
- Refill machines with tickets when they run out
- Oversee payment of large jackpots
- Respond to and resolve customer complaints
- Interview, hire, and train new employees
Gaming dealers operate table games such as craps, blackjack, and roulette. They stand or sit behind tables while serving customers. Dealers control the pace and action of the game. They announce each player’s move to the rest of the table and let players know when it is their turn. Most dealers are often required to work at least two games, usually blackjack or craps. Gaming dealers typically do the following:
- Give out cards and provide dice or other equipment to customers
- Determine winners, calculate and pay off winning bets, and collect on losing bets
- Continually inspect cards or dice
- Inform players of the rules of the game
- Keep track of the amount of money that customers have already bet
- Exchange paper money for gaming chips
Gaming and sports book writers and runners handle bets on sporting events and take and record bets for customers. Sports book writers and runners also verify tickets and pay out winning tickets. In addition, they help run games such as bingo and keno. Some gaming runners collect winning tickets from customers in a casino. Gaming and sports book writers and runners typically do the following:
- Scan tickets and calculate winnings
- Operate the equipment that randomly selects bingo or keno numbers
- Announce bingo or keno numbers when they are selected
- Oversee the cash that comes in (on bets) and goes out (on winnings) during their shift
Work Environment
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.
How to become a Gaming Services Worker
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.
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.
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.
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.
Pay
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.
Job Outlook
Employment of gaming services workers is projected to grow 10 percent from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations. Growth will vary by detailed occupation (see table). Because gambling managers is a small occupation, however, the fast growth will result in only about 500 new jobs over the 10-year period.
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.
Similar Job Titles
Black Jack Dealer, Blackjack Dealer, Card Dealer, Casino Dealer, Dealer, Dual Rate Dealer, Games Dealer, Poker Dealer, Table Games Dealer, Twenty-One Dealer, Cage Manager, Cage Supervisor, Cage/Vault Supervisor, Casino Cage Cashier, Casino Cashier, Casino Cashier Manager, Gaming Cage Worker, Gaming Cashier, Casino Floorperson, Casino Shift Manager, Casino Supervisor, Floor Supervisor, Gaming Floor Supervisor, Pit Boss, Pit Supervisor, Shift Supervisor, Slot Shift Manager, Table Games Supervisor, Bingo Clerk, Casino Attendant, Casino Floor Runner, Casino Runner, Floor Runner, Keno Attendant, Keno Writer / Runner, Keno Writer/Runner, Race and Sports Book Writer, Racebook Writer, Assistant Casino Shift Manager, Bingo Manager, Casino Manager, Casino Shift Manager, Gaming Director, Gaming Manager, Slot Manager, Slot Operations Director, Table Games Manager, Table Games Shift Manager, Booth Cashier, Betting Clerk, Cage Cashier, Cashier, Casino Banker, Casino Cashier, Change Person, Slot Attendant, Slot Floor Person, Slot Technician, Vault Cashier, Craps Dealer
Related Occupations
Pharmacy Aide, Postal Service Clerk, Bartender, Teller, Concierge, First-Line Supervisor of Retail Sales Workers, First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers, General and Operations Manager, Administrative Services Manager
More Information
The trade associations listed below represent organizations made up of people (members) who work and promote advancement in the field. Members are very interested in telling others about their work and about careers in those areas. As well, trade associations provide opportunities for organizational networking and learning more about the field’s trends and directions.
- American Gaming Association - This organization seeks to achieve sound policies and smart regulations that promote innovation and are consistent with gaming’s modern appeal and vast economic contributions.
- UNITE HERE - UNITE HERE is a labor union that represents 300,000 working people across Canada and the United States. Members work in the hotel, gaming, food service, manufacturing, textile, distribution, laundry, transportation, and airport industries. Membership is diverse, predominantly women and people of color.
Magazines and Publications
Video Transcript
The excitement and fun of betting at the racetrack or in a casino relies on knowing gaming services workers are maintaining the house rules. Gaming services workers need honesty, integrity, and the ability to stay calm while serving customers in the sometimes frantic environment of gambling establishments. Gaming managers and supervisors direct and oversee gaming operations and staff. They circulate among the tables and slot machines to make sure everything runs smoothly. They explain house rules, ensure payouts are correct, and call security staff when needed. Gaming dealers run table games such as craps, blackjack, and roulette. Dealers explain game rules, announce each player’s moves, and cue players’ turns. Dealers also calculate and pay out winning bets, and collect when players lose. Gaming and sports book writers and runners take bets on sporting events, and run games such as bingo and keno. They also verify tickets or winners and pay out winnings. Gaming cage workers are responsible for exchanging customers’ cash for the chips used to play, and then back again from chips to cash. Because most gambling establishments are open 24/7, it’s typical in these fields to work nights, weekends, and holidays. Most gaming jobs require a high school education, although gaming managers may need a college degree for some positions. Customer service skills are needed in all positions.
Content retrieved from: US Bureau of Labor Statistics-OOH www.bls.gov/ooh,
CareerOne Stop www.careeronestop.org, O*Net Online www.onetonline.org