Betting and gambling in general is a super popular pastime and it would not be anywhere near as exciting if it was not for the casino workers that contributed to the industry. We are all aware of the usual casino jobs like croupier/dealer, but there are many more that you can get involved in with, to provide yourself with the inside life and world that the casino realm evolves around. Once you are in the door within the gambling industry, the only way is up after that!
The industry itself is worth over £15 billion within the UK alone, and the 106,678 – people employed within it, are responsible for taking charge in representing the industry and enticing people to be a part of the adventure itself. You can have multiple skills that can get you into the industry of work, be it a part-time job to support you through university, to a full-time career as a manager of the casino floor, the opportunities really are endless for you! It all begins here.
Casino Table Games Dealer/Croupier
We have all heard of this job role within a casino, especially if you are a casino fan yourself, you will have definitely played against a dealer either in real life or virtually online, through the live casino functions that an online casino provides to players. Croupiers are in charge of managing the table, and all the influx of cash, chips and players that come back and forth during opening times of a casino. Not only do they manage the players and money, they make sure that the experience for players is an enjoyable experience and on that has a great atmosphere, that is maintained.
To get this job, it is not as much as having an interview and you're sorted, you will need to participate in the training that is given to recruits that want to pursue this career. To begin with, you will definitely need to show that you are able to interact with your customers that come to your table. It is your job to make them feel at ease; communicating with them on any worries and queries that may come into mind to them. In addition to this, you will need to have the experience to handle a situation, if in any case players lose and cause an uproar after losses. It will be up to you, to assess the situation and see if you can either handle it yourself or that you will need to see security help on the floor of the casino. Basically, you will need to be a great judge of character and a people person, to really excel in this profession.
Your mathematical skills will need to also be at a certain level, because you will need to quickly add the sums up for the table games that you are head of, especially the cash that is wagered by players on a poker table for example. Popular games like Texas Hold’em Poker are immensely fast-paced, so it is a requirement that you are comfortable in working at an accelerated pace to fit the table momentum.
In any casino job, the salary of wages can definitely be particularly good, especially if you zoom past your training with flying colours. You can then expect to earn a total of £25,000 per year, depending on your responsibilities and hours of course. Any tips that you may receive will be added to your current salary.
Cashier
Cashiers are just as important within casinos because there will be plenty of handling of cash and chips in between gameplay on the floor. It will be your responsibility to greet customers with a warm welcome and thank them for their custom within the casino. Therefore, customer experience is very important to have, if you are hoping to land a job like this. Many casinos will pay their cashiers more or less depending on their existing skills. For example, if you know multiple languages, that will definitely be in the casino's favour to hire you, as you will be able to interact with more customers on a daily basis.
If you are trying to fit this job around your studies, or you are just after a part-time job, you can expect anything from the minimum wage and above, skills dispensing. Full-time work will see you earning around £16,000 per annum, plus any additional tips that you may receive in the meantime. That will be yours to keep, without worrying about any tax obligations, etc., as it is usually cash in hand.
Slots Hosting
A slots host will primarily be responsible for all the players that exist on the floor. You will greet them as they approach the area of slot machines, alongside introducing yourself and ensuring the players that you are there to assist them in whichever way they see fit. Alongside the customer service, you will perform quality checks on the slot machines, to make sure that they are working correctly and that they pass their run-throughs every day before opening. Should there be any issues, you will need to flag it to the slot technicians who will try and fix it as soon as possible, to ensure little to no disturbance to gameplay capacity will occur.
You will also be in charge of promoting the casino loyalty schemes that are run by the casino and if you achieve your certain join up quota, you can expect a reward depending. Any rewards will be added to your salary of £22,000 per year, alongside any extra tips that you make along the way. There is no need for training for this particular role, however, you will of course need to be a minimum of 18 years old and have some previous roles within the customer service sector.
Slots Technician
A slots technician is one that is responsible for making sure that the slot machines operate at the appropriate function that they should be, for player entertainment. You will need to carry out tests frequently to the machines, including performance reports that will be filed to higher management, to take the next official steps of costs and repairs. You will also repair any machines to the best possible degree and any other remotely similar games that are on the slot machine floor.
Technicians will always receive a good reasonable pay, with many earning a minimum of £26,550. However, if you happen to have more experience within the industry up your sleeve, you will receive an increase on the minimum expected. Many of the most experienced slot machine technicians can approach the £30k estimate, if they have been in the game scene for many years.
Counting Team Member
A count team member will be the mathematical whizz behind the cashiers. They will count all the intake for the day, the outtake of winnings given to the players and of course, work out the profit that the casino managed to land at the given time. You will need to be highly computer savvy to operate spreadsheets and reports back to higher management. So, they can use these figures further in line to project sales targets etc.
Being that this is such an administrative role, you will be able to join with little background as a starting job after school. If you have the correct qualifications, with particulars to maths and literature, the job will allow you to be easily trained up in the process. Do not forget that the starting salary is £15,000, meaning that you will have room to grow, to higher salaries and positions within the casino. Administrative roles often can progress into management, with the right given training.
Surveillance Officer
A surveillance officer will make sure all players and staff members are safe from any potential harm or threats. It will be their responsibility to monitor the floors surveillance and act in the event of any suspicious activity. This job is performed in the back scenes of a casino, however if you notice any cheating activity etc. you will need to come out to call for the appropriate security members on the floor to take action. You must be highly alert and know how to read people and their actions very well.
The job is usually pretty slow paced, if the casino environment is managed. If, however there is suspicious activity, the job demands become increasingly fast paced. You will need to manipulate your attitude to the role as and when. The salary you can expect is anything from £25,000, all the way to £30,000, depending on your experience and the casino you apply to.
Supervisor of games
The title of this position is very obvious indeed. Your responsibilities will involve overseeing all the staff that operate the games on the casino floor. In addition to this, you will also make sure to check the functions of the games and machines, being that the slots host for example, where not able to do so.
It will be your duty to create the staff schedule across the gaming seasons of the year, making sure that enough staff are on the floor for certain periods of high demand i.e. Christmas. You will manage all the staff's breaks and take over their role in their absence, if no other staff is available or should any sickness or other reasons affect the staffing plans. You will operate behind the scenes for administrative duties when needs be, and on the floor with customers, from time to time.
To get this job, you will either be promoted from a role underneath you, such as a slots host, or you may have come from another industry where you share the same responsibilities and supervisor roles within your career. The expected pay can be anything from £17,000 all the way to £25,000, experience depending.
Casino Manager
The casino manager is essentially the big boss of the casino. Your duties will mean that everything that happens within the casino, will be under your say and planning. You will be responsible for everything to do with hiring new staff, to addressing any formal brand complaints of your branch, in addition to making sure the law is upheld within the casino facility.
You will usually operate behind the scenes of the casino, with only sometimes actually coming on to the floor. Usually, to check maintenance issues noted by the technicians or in the rarest of situations, take over for the staffing gaps on the casino floor. To land this job, you will most likely have worked your way up from a supervisory position, to actually having personal experience in management operations elsewhere in your career. The salary for this profession can go all the way up to £40,000, depending on your experience and years of course.
There are online casino opportunities too!
Being that online casinos have hugely lifted off in prominence within the casino industry this past decade, many job opportunities are now needed to take part in the online co-ordinance and management of the online platforms. Things such as an actual live bingo host, amongst live dealers, are in high demand too, as you will perform the same roles as you would in an actual casino/bingo hall, just you will be operating via live recorded videos.
This kind of work is far more effective to some people and flexible, in terms of work schedules. Many of the live casino gigs will operate at many different hours, so it would not need to follow the typical 9-5 usual routine. Casinos also need many casino agents to be ready to respond to all of the customers that are online and playing. This would mean it would be your role to respond to customer emails, calls and live chats. The great thing about this role is that it can usually be worked from home and would not necessarily need you to be in an office to complete your duties.
If you have far more technical skills, you may find the opportunity of monitoring the website's systems and functions, by being a web engineer for the casino, may be right up your street. This sort of role will mean you need to work on the ball of your feet, to ensure the casino is operating at the peak of its potential, as the casino industry is very competitive. It would be your job to ensure that the site raises awareness in the gambling community.
There are so many opportunities for anyone interested in making the casino world a part of their everyday working life. If you love casino games, maybe this may be the next right step for yourself?
