Casino Queen and the casino industry by Cara Bertoia

How the Casino Industry Sucked Me In and Never Let Go!

When I was younger and working at Caesar’s Tahoe, players would sit down at my game and invariably the following question would come up. “What’s a nice girl like you doing working in a joint like this?” I would always look around me where there were rows of dealers like me, fresh-faced recent college grads trying to postpone adulthood as long as we could, and Lake Tahoe (America’s all year playground) was a great place to do it.  Over the years at one time or another most of us have left the casino business, but in the end the majority return. So let me tell you the top ten reasons for working in a joint like the Night Hawk.

1.     You get paid for playing games all day but you really don’t get paid much. The majority of your income comes from tips. Remember punters there is one person in the casino who wants you to win, and that person is the dealer. Because if you don’t win, she won’t make tips, and everybody likes to eat. There is nothing more exhilarating than sharing in a big win with a player. If you work in a ‘go for your own joint,’ you get to keep all the tips you can make. Your salary is pretty much up to you and your personality. It’s like being a salesman but the casino provides all the leads.

2.     Every casino I have ever worked in provides health insurance because we are all going to get carpel tunnel from pitching cards for years. You also only work 8 hours a day. Occasionally I worked overtime but I got paid for it. I decided I’d rather work by the hour than for a salary.

3.     You can work any shift that you want to. Can’t stand sunlight, you sign up to work the graveyard shift. A morning person, well day shift is for you. With casinos open 24 / 7, including the holidays there is a perfect shift for everyone. Dealers who have children don’t need child care because they work opposite shifts. At a young age I decided I liked to work night shift. I lived in Lake Tahoe and if I worked nights that left my days free to ski or swim in the lake. I also hate waking up to a alarm clock.

4.     Gambling is a growth industry. With more states and cities in desperate financial straits, they are turning to casinos. Fifty years ago there were casinos only in Nevada now according to Wikipedia there are casinos in 30 states.

5.     You can’t be outsourced. Someone does have to actually pitch those cards on a blackjack game. I know they have been working on perfecting a blackjack machine, but then you might as well play the slot machines, Table game gamblers don’t trust machines. I believe dealers are safe for a while.

6.     You can get a job at almost any age. I have seen dealers in their sixties get hired. This is great because at some point most people in the casino get fired. But it is a small enough industry that you probably know someone in management somewhere, and they will juice you into a job. When I left high tech to go  into the casino industry people thought I was crazy but most of my friends got laid off at one point or another and that never happened to me.

7.     Free food is a great incentive. Most casinos I’ve worked in have provided free meals and drinks and if they do charge the cost is minimal. If going out to lunch costs $5 a day, then that is like a $25 raise every week. It can get even better, when I lived on a ship, I also got free room and board.

8. You don’t have to buy clothes, because your company will gladly provide you with a uniform. It will be ugly, it will be made of polyester, but it will be free.

9. You get to live in nice places which is what got me into the business in the   first place. Besides Tahoe, I have lived on a cruise ship circling the world, and Palm Springs. My husband has worked in Moscow, London, the Czech Republic and the Bahamas. Not all casinos are located in nice places but with a little research you can find a beautiful place to deal.

10. You get to meet celebrities. I was thrilled whenever anyone from Vanderpump Rules played on my game. Well, okay to me they are actually big celebrities. I have also dealt to official Hollywood stars. Some of them are nice, but you soon realize the rich and famous aren’t “all that.”

The next time you play at a table you don’t have to ask, you will already know why that dealer is working there. Read my suspense novel Casino Queen and enjoy your time at the Night Hawk. I love to see any of you out there reading Casino Queen. Send me a picture to carabertoia@yahoo.com and I will post it to social media. Learn more about Cara Bertola at carabertoia.blogspot.com. Want more author news? If so, click here to read my Behind the Story interviews from your favorite authors.