Exploring the Most In-Demand Casino Jobs
For people who work in the gambling industry, 2023 has been a strong year. Gaming revenue broke records for the eighth straight quarter to kick off the year, exceeding $16.6 billion. That growth was consistent across every vertical of the casino industry, from traditional casino gaming to sports betting and online gaming services.
That growth means casinos are actively recruiting and hiring more employees, too. In a survey by the American Gaming Association, 31% of casino executives reported a labor shortage in their companies, and salaries for casino workers are on the rise, too.
While there is ample opportunity to grow a casino career across a range of positions, some roles are in higher demand than others. Read on to learn which gaming employees are seeing the highest pay rates in 2023, as well as the personnel that are most needed across the United States’ gaming industry currently.
Casino jobs with the highest salaries
From an employee standpoint, one of the main things that makes a job desirable is the amount of money they can make doing it. There are a number of opportunities, both on the gaming floor and in administrative management, or back office roles, that pay an increasingly competitive salary. If you’re looking for the highest-paying role you can land in a casino, the options below are all solid bets.
Director of Slot Operations
Average salary: $127,447/year
Experience required: 5+ years
Also called a Slot Operations Manager, the Director of Slot Operations is a casino management position that oversees the daily operations and maintenance of the slots in casino resorts. This is a leadership role that manages a team of employees, including customer-facing roles like slot hosts and slot attendants as well as the technicians who repair and maintain the slot machines and administrative staff related to the slot area. Other typical responsibilities include managing slots budgets and forecasting, reviewing financial reports, and assuring compliance with federal regulations and reporting. The main qualifications employers look for are knowledge of slot machine operations and the laws governing them, financial planning skills, and soft skills like communication, leadership, and people management.
Casino Controller
Average salary: $115,000/year
Experience required: 3-5 years
The Casino Controller is a financial role that oversees all aspects of the accounting in casino resort operations. They manage casino funds, analyze cash flows, forecast financial activity, and are responsible for auditing areas like the count room, cage, table games, slots, and other departments like restaurants, retail, and lodging in the facility. Often, Casino Controllers will get experience as a Casino Accountant or similar financial roles to learn about casino financial management, common compliance issues, and other hands-on knowledge of casino finances.
Gaming Manager
Average salary: $76,842/year
Experience required: 4-6 years
You may also see this role called Casino Manager, Table Games Manager, or something similar. Their main job duties are focused on overseeing the day-to-day operations of the gaming area, including supervising the gaming tables, scheduling staff like dealers and floor supervisors, formulating house rules, and resolving customer issues ranging from payout errors and complaints to spotting cheating and other bad behavior from patrons. This requires a mix of customer service skills, strong observation skills, problem solving capability, and management, as well as in-depth knowledge of game procedures and rules.
Security Director
Average salary: $90,676/year
Experience required: 5+ years
Also known as a Security Manager, these casino managers have a broad scope, keeping an eye on everything that happens on the casino floor to ensure the safety and security of guests, employees, and the overall property. They’re responsible for hiring, training, scheduling, and managing security officers, in addition to establishing, enforcing, and analyzing the casino’s policies and procedures to prevent theft, cheating, and similar issues. When issues do arise, they supervise criminal investigations of customers as well as internal investigations of illegal employee activity, reporting their findings to the proper authorities. This role’s requirements include knowledge of casino operation and gaming rules and laws, along with strong attention to details, leadership ability, communication skills, conflict resolution, and strong problem solving and decision making skills.
Internal Auditor
Average salary: $76,832/year
Experience required: 2+ years
The Internal Auditor is one of the best-paying behind-the-scenes casino careers. These professionals are in charge of conducting financial and operational audits of all areas within a casino, including restaurants, entertainment venues, and lodging in addition to gameplay transactions like bets and payouts. In order to excel in this, they need in-depth knowledge of casino regulations and compliance, as well as experience conducting audits and overseeing financial processes.
Casino jobs with increasing demand
There are some positions in a casino that are consistently needed. These include gaming positions like dealer and croupier, as well as other hospitality roles like server, host, or bartender.
As the casino industry changes, though, there are also some new roles that are increasingly in demand with gambling employers. Here are some opportunities likely to be on the rise over the next few years.
Slot Machine Technician
Average salary: $51,952/year
The main responsibility of technicians is to perform regular maintenance, repairs, and upgrades on slot machines. They’re also responsible for troubleshooting problems, testing slot machine performance, and keeping machines clean and ready for guests. They usually report to the slot supervisor or manager who coordinates theme conversions, maintenance schedules, software updates, and other tasks.
IT Manager
Average salary: $116,406/year
Casinos today utilize more technology in their day-to-day operations, requiring more professionals who can develop and maintain these systems. These can include customer-facing interfaces like slot machine software or integrated online games, as well as back-end systems for managing the property’s finances and operations. A background in IT and technology tends to be more important for these roles than experience in the gaming industry, although candidates who have both are in especially high demand.
Casino Marketing Manager
Average salary: $65,139/year
As online gaming grows, brick-and-mortar casinos are increasingly concerned with driving higher customer engagement. This is where a skilled marketing manager becomes a crucial role. These professionals conceptualize, develop, and oversee all of the casino’s marketing efforts and define the metrics for success, as well as the property’s overall brand strategy. Like with IT managers, a combination of casino industry knowledge and marketing skills and experience is highly desirable in these candidates.
Key skills for landing in-demand casino jobs
Some job titles and functions within a casino will require specialized skills and knowledge. However, there are some consistent skills needed by all casino employees, regardless of whether they work with players or have a more back-office function.
Foremost among these is strong communication. It takes a large team to keep a gaming operation running smoothly, so even those who don’t interact with guests need to be able to interact with other people effectively. For positions like casino dealer, slot attendant, pit clerk, or casino shift manager, customer service skills are also highly desirable.
Something else the majority of casino employees do is interact with math and numbers. This could be handing money and chips in the case of cashiers, croupiers, and pit clerks, or understanding odds and statistics for those who run games like poker, craps, roulette, or blackjack. This is true for non-gaming employees in a casino, too. People who work as a bartender, server, or cocktail waitress within a casino will also collect money from guests and need to have at least basic math skills.
Finally, like in many industries, the gaming industry has been increasing its use of technology. Employment in a gaming facility in 2023 will usually involve interaction with some form of software, from booking and guest management systems to integrated online gaming platforms. Understanding the basic operation of these programs is an advantage in any type of casino role.
Tips for landing a casino job
Build your customer service experience.
One great thing about customer service skills is that they’re broadly applicable across industries. You don’t necessarily need to have experience serving gamblers to develop these skills. Working in food service, retail, or other areas of hospitality can also be excellent preparation for a casino job and open up doors to the gaming industry.
Grow your professional network.
Like other areas of the broader hospitality industry, casino employment is all about building relationships. Networking with other gaming professionals can help you find out about open opportunities and give you the connections you need to find and land your ideal casino role.
Gain the right training for your ideal role.
One appealing aspect of casino jobs for many people is that they often don’t require a specific degree (or any degree, in many cases). However, depending on the type of work you’re looking for, having the right training and education can be an advantage, and one way to stand out from the competition.
This is especially true for management and supervisor positions. While you certainly can get these jobs simply through experience, having a degree or certification in Hospitality Management shows you’re serious about your casino career. For financial roles like accountant, auditor, or controller, a degree in a financial field can show you have the math and money skills employers look for.
Look for jobs in the right places.
Some casinos will list their openings on all-purpose job sites like Indeed. That’s not the only place to find casino jobs, though. If you know which properties you’re most interested in working at, you can go directly to their websites to look for opportunities. You can also check industry-specific marketplaces like Casino Careers.
Building your casino career
There are a variety of ways to build a career in the casino industry, and now is a great time to do so. With demand high and rising across gaming roles, you don’t necessarily need casino experience on your resume to get a job in the gambling industry. Hopefully the jobs described in this article have given you an idea of how to become part of this dynamic sector.
Bristol Associates, Inc. is an executive search firm with over 55 years of excellence in recruiting nationwide. Bristol specializes in recruiting for the Casino Gaming; CBD; Facility and Concession; Food and Beverage; Healthcare; Hotel and Resort; Nonprofit; Restaurant and Foodservice; and Travel, Tourism, and Attraction industries.
If you’re interested in working with Bristol Associates, click here if you’re an employer or here if you’re a candidate.
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