Casino dealer salary: how much do casino dealers make?

nairda

4 years ago

Ever considered a career as a casino dealer? If not, you might just want to think about it. As a croupier you’ll earn an average salary, but if you fully master the profession (and speak multiple languages) you can work anywhere in the world — as the most popular casino games are globally played. The job itself is also quite diverse, as social interaction plays a major role during your activities. As a casino dealer it is therefore not only your job to master the game to perfection, but your appearance and social skills are also crucial: you are the one hosting the players and leading the game.

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Whether a player wins a huge amount and you’re the one announcing the good news, or there is a losing customer giving you the blame for the lousy cards, you will need to know how to handle the situation. Luckily, many casinos offer complete in-house training programs so you will be able to deal with every situation. Moreover, you won’t need any studies to get started as a casino worker. Does this sound interesting to you? We’ll tell you everything about the career opportunities and how much casino dealers make.

Job requirements

It’s needless to say you must be at least 18 years old in order to apply for a job as a casino dealer and usually you’ll be required to speak English and preferably a 2nd and 3rd language as well. Some math skills are also important, as you’ll need to make quick calculations during the games. Because of the height of the gaming tables, there are sometimes height requirements, meaning you need to stand somewhere between 5 feet 4 (1.63m) and 6 feet 4 (1.93 m) tall. Because working hours are usually at night, you will need to be willing to work during irregular working hours. Finally, a lot of casinos will request a certificate of conduct.

Application process and training

Your career as a dealer at a land based casino, such as Caesars Casino in Windsor (an casino in Canada), starts with the application procedure and an internal training program. Depending on the game, this training will usually take somewhere between 2 to 6 weeks and will be counted as paid working hours. After the training, there is usually an internship period and finally an exam before you can officially call yourself a fully skilled casino card dealer. Once you’ve gone through this process, the game shouldn’t have any no more secrets for you and you should be able to take a seat behind the gaming table and fill in a leading role. Note that the above steps can slightly differ per casino.

Full-time or part-time

Working part-time and full-time are both possible at most casinos. In a lot of western countries there are many part time workers who study besides their job as a dealer.

A part-time job as a casino croupier can easily be combined with a study as you mainly work in the evenings. Expect to work at least two shifts a week.

How much does a casino dealer make?

Although the job might sound very interesting to some, in the end it’s the card dealer salary that counts as well. A croupier earns an average of £2,500 gross salary per month. We need to mention something here though: have you ever thought of how much casino dealers make in tips? Well, the above salary is actually partly made up of tips (tronc) that dealers receive as it is quite common for winning players to give croupiers a tip as a token of appreciation. This tip is usually shared with other croupiers working on the same shift. For many students, working as a croupier is a great part-time job as you earn about £14 per hour and work about 2 evenings a week. A part-time contract of 7 – 14 hours p/w is very common and can be easily combined with a study, if you would ask most students.

Growth opportunities as a card dealer

We do want to point out that the career opportunities are rather limited for casino croupiers. You can retrain yourself so that you can get work as an all-round dealer for multiple casino games, but besides that there aren’t a lot of career growth opportunities. One of the positions you could aspire is to become a floor manager, which consequently requires more experience and additional training. One of the biggest benefits of working as a card dealer, however, is that most table games have uniform rules (or slight variations), giving you the opportunity to work everywhere in the world (where gambling is allowed). Clearly, this would also mean you’ll need to be able to speak the language of the country you want to work.

Do you want to be a casino dealer? Here’s what you need to know.

Working as a casino dealer is a very attractive career option. It’s a fast-paced and dynamic environment, with plenty of opportunities to meet people from all kinds of backgrounds. Like any career, it’s important to do your research and get a feel for working within the gaming industry. Equipped with insights, you can make the career choices that best satisfy your expectations. Read these handy tips for you to consider before you take any actions.

The casino industry and you – are you made for each other?

Get started by researching what it’s really like to work as a casino dealer – do you know what a dealer does? It is the dealer’s responsibility to make sure the game they’re running – anything from poker to roulette and blackjack – plays out efficiently and contributes to a player’s enjoyment. You’re going to meet lots of people and your personality is key to their enjoyment of the game, whether online or at a physical gaming table. Therefore, you will need to love engaging with people; first-class communication skills combined with an ability to manage players’ different personalities.

You’ll be required to have a head for figure work that requires the facility for speedy calculation combined with a mental agility that supports focus and concentration. Consider your physical fitness, too, if you want to work in a bricks/mortar casino because you’ll be spending a lot of time on your feet. Give some consideration to the hours a casino dealer works – it might not be the career for you if you prefer more standardised business hours, as working hours can cover up to 24 hours. Check out the working conditions plus the employee benefits packages available.

Is training available?

The types of training vary depending on individual companies, but it’s fair to say that many off and online casino businesses provide bespoke training. There are also independent casino dealer courses, lasting on average 8 weeks, which equip you with the skills needed to apply for dealer roles. The games vary in difficulty – blackjack is accepted as an easy one to master, whereas poker and its variations will take longer to gain proficiency in. Whichever course you might opt for, be mindful that while you can get up to speed with the skills needed, the qualities necessary to be a successful casino dealer you should already have – these can be developed and honed as you progress in your career.

How much will you make as a casino dealer?

There will be variations in pay-scales dependent on who you’re working for, but it’s reasonable to say that for new dealers you can expect a salary – outside London – between £15k to £17k, with inner London around £20k. If you want to progress in your career and become a pit manager, who has responsibility for managing gaming tables/staff, the starting salary averages £21-23k but can rise significantly higher as your responsibilities increase.

As well as the basic salary, you can expect to earn extra monies through tips. The number of tips you make will depend on how happy the players are, and it’s not impossible to make around £500 per month, taking into consideration where you’re based. In the simplest terms, the best croupiers will make the most tips and those croupiers provide a fun environment for players. Take into account that many players use off and online casinos for social interaction as much as gambling – they may perceive the two as interlinked. Therefore, the successful croupiers have engaging personalities and run their tables without a hitch – if you deal winning hands and/or spins, that can encourage players to be generous so you can benefit from their wins. As your confidence and experience increases, you can expect to get a kick out of seeing your tips car regularly overflowing!

Your first job as a casino dealer

Some casino training programs/schools offer, as part of the curriculum, opportunities to apply for relevant vacancies. You can also check out job boards, which include:

Moving up the casino ladder

If you’ve identified this is the job type for you, it’s likely you want to know more about forging a career path in the casino industry. Apply a hard-work ethic and develop your skills and qualities as you progress – then you can think about applying for supervisory roles after a couple of years’ experience, before moving onto pit boss jobs and management roles in the £40+k salary range. There are options to work as a games inspector within the online gaming industry.

Use this guide to get started on what could be a new and exciting career within a dynamic industry.