Finding a Job as a Craps Dealer

Entering a casino related career as a craps dealer may sound like it simply involves filling out applications at casinos that are looking to hire, but in truth there’s a lengthier process that must occur before a candidate even gets to stand in front of a craps table. The path to being a craps dealer involves several elements that may include a necessary move to another city or state, attending a dealer’s school and earning experience at smaller casinos before having the chance to deal at some of gambling’s most famous locations.

Casino Locations

In order to initially find a job as a craps dealer one has to live near an area that has a legally operating casino. In the U.S., many states only allow gambling through horse track racing, however casino resorts can still be found in many of the well known states such as Nevada, California, New Mexico, Montana, New Jersey, Mississippi, Florida, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. These states currently have various legal casino resorts that can be found on most casino location directories.

Like most other industries, there are job markets wherever the money is. In the U.S., the Las Vegas Strip tops the revenue charts with $6.12 billion per year, while Atlantic City and the Chicago land region both garner $4.55 billion per year. Other high revenue areas include Connecticut, Detroit and Reno. With the Las Vegas region boasting over 350 different brick and mortar casino locations, it is no secret as to where the primary craps dealer job market is located. For those who really want to find a job as a craps dealer, this may necessitate a move to the Las Vegas area, or any other area that has casino resorts.

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Finding a Job

Inexperienced candidates looking to get their foot in may find the task of finding that first job slightly overwhelming. Nowadays, many casinos operate as top tier businesses that maintain a vast variety of operations under one corporate umbrella. This means that many casinos do have their own human resources department and job hotlines. It’s important to scour these departments and hotlines for opportunities, and to be forward about them as there are usually many applicants for a single position opening. Some may also find luck via casino job boards on the internet, but don’t expect to get very far without a physical local address that is close to whichever job location you’re looking at.

In locations such as Las Vegas, it is best for inexperienced candidates to start looking at smaller, low-key casinos. Occasionally, these smaller casinos may not have a human resources department that can be contacted directly, and often a physical walk-in may be required in order to see if they are hiring.

Training

In any job market it is always important to stay ahead of the competitors via experience. As a craps dealer, experience becomes transferrable between job locations. However, for inexperienced candidates it’s important to focus on the other elements that result in a successful craps dealer. The position requires one to be extroverted and courteous with players while keeping the game entertaining. This is why employers are always looking for candidates that have a knack for good customer service and can keep players at the table. Here, customer service experience in other job fields may help as background material.

Regardless of whether one has experience or not, all craps dealers must be trained. On occasions, casinos will play for their prospective employees training but this is not often the case. Therefore, most potential candidates who are looking for a job as a craps dealer in Las Vegas will have to pay for and attend a dealer’s school. These schools show you all the ins and outs of various dealer positions such a craps. Students are trained in supervising a craps game, dealing a craps game, pushing the dices, handling tokens and cash and operating a shuffling machine. Standard casino and dealer etiquette is also taught along with tips on how to land jobs and how to nail interviews.

This training requirement isn’t simply for resume fluff; states require dealers to have a valid license that is provided by the state’s casino control commission. The training period usually takes no longer than 8 weeks, with most casinos requiring no more than a valid dealer’s license and a high school diploma or GED as education prerequisites.

Important Considerations

Landing a job as a craps dealer also requires one to think about a couple of other important considerations apart from location, using job opening resources and training.

All potential craps dealers must have a clean criminal record and must pass a drug test. In the recent decades, all casinos and their regulatory gaming commissions have been cracking down on criminal activity via identity verification systems, historical databases and stringent rules. Any prospective candidate will be run through databases to verify their criminal history and to verify their record in casino databases that maintain lists on blacklisted ex-employees and players. All casinos and dealer’s school require applicants to pass a drug test whenever necessary.

Craps dealer is not a job for those who do not like the hustle and bustle of a casino pit and who are not ready to use the energy from the players to good use. These dealers are required to be fast thinkers, must have proficient mathematical skills and have to be able to handle dice, tokens, cash, and cards with both hands. Above all, a craps dealer’s success on any given work shift may depend on how amicable they are with the incoming players. Quickly creating good rapports with players will work wonders for a craps dealer’s career.

Potential employees often limit themselves to jobs in and around the Las Vegas Strip. While this is for good reason, thanks to the Strip’s high casino density and job market, it is not the only market that can be considered. Obtaining entry-level dealer experience in small casinos in other states may be a more cost effective plan and it is important to consider other opportunities such as potentially being a craps dealer on a cruise liner. As the skill in being a craps dealer is very transferrable, candidates should not limit their choices to a single job market location.

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