Education:
87%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
7%
Some College Courses
Gambling and Sports Book Writers and Runners
This is a sub-career of
Gambling Services Worker
More sub-careers
Select a specialized sub-career for more details.
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Job Outlook:
Little or no change
Education:
High school diploma or equivalent
Salary
High:
$43,480.00
Average:
$32,310.00
Hourly
Average:
$15.53
What they do:
Post information enabling patrons to wager on various races and sporting events. Assist in the operation of games such as keno and bingo. May operate random number-generating equipment and announce the numbers for patrons. Receive, verify, and record patrons' wagers. Scan and process winning tickets presented by patrons and pay out winnings for those wagers.
On the job, you would:
- Collect bets in the form of cash or chips, verifying and recording amounts.
- Collect cards or tickets from players.
- Compute and verify amounts won or lost, paying out winnings or referring patrons to workers, such as gaming cashiers, so that winnings can be collected.
Important Qualities
Communication skills. Gambling services workers must explain the rules of the game to customers and answer their questions. Misunderstandings can cost a customer money and damage the establishment’s reputation.
Customer-service skills. Gambling jobs involve interaction with customers. The success or failure of a gambling establishment depends on how customers view the experience, making customer service important for all of these occupations.
Leadership skills. Gambling managers and supervisors oversee other gambling services workers and must guide them in doing their jobs and developing their skills.
Math skills. Because they may deal with large amounts of money, gambling services workers must be good at math.
Organizational skills. Gambling managers and supervisors should have an orderly system in place to handle administrative and other tasks for overseeing gambling services workers.
Patience. All gambling services workers must stay composed when they encounter a customer who becomes upset or breaks a rule. They also must stay calm when dealing with equipment failures or malfunctions.
Personality
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Characteristics of this Career |
|---|---|---|---|
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83% | Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical. | |
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83% | Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude. | |
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82% | Self-Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations. | |
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77% | Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks. | |
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76% | Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations. | |
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73% | Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations. | |
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68% | Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace. | |
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67% | Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job. | |
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66% | Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Strengths |
|---|---|---|---|
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95% | Conventional - Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources. | |
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72% | Enterprising - Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Values of the Work Environment |
|---|---|---|---|
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72% | Relationships - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service. | |
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72% | Support - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical. |
Aptitude
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Abilities | Cognitive, Physical, Personality |
|---|---|---|---|
|
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75% | Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences. | |
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69% | Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand. | |
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66% | Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer). |
Job Details
Responsibilities
Compute gaming wins and losses.
Conduct gaming transactions.
Maintain financial or account records.
Conduct gaming transactions.
Conduct amusement or gaming activities.
Respond to customer inquiries.
Conduct amusement or gaming activities.
Conduct amusement or gaming activities.
Conduct amusement or gaming activities.
Prepare operational reports or records.
Conduct gaming transactions.
Inspect equipment to ensure proper functioning.
Conduct gaming transactions.
Conduct amusement or gaming activities.
Operate gaming equipment.
Maintain financial or account records.
Operate gaming equipment.
Mediate disputes.
Supervise service workers.
Conduct amusement or gaming activities.
Deliver items.
Conduct amusement or gaming activities.
Compute gaming wins and losses.
Sell products or services.
Usher patrons to seats or exits.
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Attributes & Percentage of Time Spent |
|---|---|---|---|
|
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93% | Indoors, Environmentally Controlled - How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions? | |
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91% | Contact With Others - How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it? | |
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86% | Work With Work Group or Team - How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job? | |
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85% | Physical Proximity - To what extent does this job require the worker to perform job tasks in close physical proximity to other people? | |
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84% | Importance of Being Exact or Accurate - How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job? | |
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82% | Importance of Repeating Same Tasks - How important is repeating the same physical activities (e.g., key entry) or mental activities (e.g., checking entries in a ledger) over and over, without stopping, to performing this job? | |
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80% | Face-to-Face Discussions - How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job? | |
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78% | Deal With External Customers - How important is it to work with external customers or the public in this job? | |
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76% | Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions - How much does this job require making repetitive motions? | |
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74% | Spend Time Standing - How much does this job require standing? | |
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74% | Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls - How much does this job require using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls? | |
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67% | Sounds, Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable - How often does this job require working exposed to sounds and noise levels that are distracting or uncomfortable? |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Tasks & Values |
|---|---|---|---|
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78% | Performing for or Working Directly with the Public - Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests. | |
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67% | Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources. |
What Gambling Services Workers Do
Many gambling dealers specialize in one type of game.
Gambling services workers serve customers in gambling establishments, such as casinos or racetracks. Some workers tend slot machines or deal cards. Others take bets or pay out winnings. Still others supervise or manage gambling workers and operations.
Duties
Gambling services workers typically do the following:
- Interact with customers and make sure that they have a pleasant experience
- Monitor customers for violations of gambling rules or the establishment’s policies
- Inform their supervisor or a security employee of any irregularities they see
- Enforce safety rules and report hazards
- Explain to customers how to play the games
The following are examples of types of gambling services workers:
First-line supervisors of gambling services workers directly monitor and coordinate the activities of workers in assigned gambling areas. They move within their assigned areas make sure that everything is running smoothly and that all areas are properly staffed. Table games supervisors (also called floor supervisors) oversee gambling dealers, table games, and players. Slot supervisors oversee activities of the slot department.
Gambling and sports book writers and runners handle bets on sporting events and take and record bets for customers. In addition, they help run games such as bingo and keno. They verify tickets and pay out winning tickets, and some runners collect winning tickets from customers.
Gambling dealers operate table games such as blackjack, craps, and roulette. They control the pace and action of the game, announcing each player’s move to the rest of the table and letting players know when it is their turn. They inspect cards or dice, pay off winning bets, and collect on winning bets. Dealers are often required to work at least two games, usually blackjack or craps.
Gambling managers, who also may be casino managers, plan, coordinate, or direct operations in a gambling establishment. They may create house rules, such as for betting limits, and address customer complaints about service. Gambling managers also hire and train new employees.
For information on gambling cage workers, see the profile on financial clerks. For information on gambling surveillance officers and gambling investigators, see the profile on security guards and gambling surveillance officers.
Work Environment
Gambling services workers held about 132,100 jobs in 2022. Employment in the detailed occupations that make up gambling services workers was distributed as follows:
| Gambling dealers | 75,600 |
| First-line supervisors of gambling services workers | 29,700 |
| Gambling service workers, all other | 13,100 |
| Gambling and sports book writers and runners | 8,400 |
| Gambling managers | 5,300 |
The largest employers of gambling services workers were as follows:
| Casino hotels | 33% |
| Government | 26 |
| Gambling industries (except casino hotels) | 25 |
| Self-employed workers | 8 |
| Spectator sports | 2 |
Gambling dealers spend most of their shift standing or sitting behind a table. Although managers and supervisors may spend limited time working in an office, they frequently monitor activities by circulating among areas on the floor of the establishment.
Casinos in some states are exempt from laws prohibiting smoking indoors. The atmosphere in these facilities may expose gambling services workers to hazards such as secondhand smoke from cigarettes, cigars, or pipes.
Noise from slot machines, gambling tables, and loud customers may be distracting, although workers may wear protective headgear in areas where machinery is used to count money.
Work Schedules
Most casinos are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Employees are often scheduled to work nights, weekends, and holidays, which are typically the busiest times for casinos. Most work full time, although part-time work is common.
Getting Started
How to Become a Gambling Services Worker
Dealers should have good customer-service skills.
Gambling jobs typically require a high school diploma or equivalent to enter. Some employers require gambling managers to have a college degree.
Education
Gambling dealers, gambling supervisors, and gambling and sports book writers and runners typically need a high school diploma or equivalent. Educational requirements for gambling managers differ by establishment. Some require a high school diploma or equivalent, while others require gambling managers to have some college or a degree. Those who pursue a degree may choose to study casino management, hotel management, or hospitality, in addition to taking courses in business.
Training
Individual casinos or other gambling establishments have their own training requirements. New gambling dealers may be sent to gambling school for a few weeks to learn a table game, such as blackjack or craps. These schools teach the game’s rules and procedures, as well as state and local laws and regulations related to it.
Although gambling school is primarily for new employees, some experienced dealers go to gambling school if they want to be trained in a new game.
Completing gambling school before being hired may increase a prospective dealer’s chances of being hired, but it does not guarantee a job. Employers usually audition prospective dealers for open positions to assess their personal qualities.
Gambling and sports book writers and runners usually do not have to go to gambling school. They typically are trained in less than 1 month. The employer provides instruction on state and local laws and regulations related to the game, as well the particulars of their job, such as keno calling.
Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations
Gambling services workers must be licensed by a state regulatory agency, such as a state casino control board or gambling commission. Licensing requirements for supervisory or managerial positions may differ from those for gambling dealers, gambling and sports book writers and runners, and all other gambling workers. However, all candidates for a license must provide photo identification and pay a fee. Typically, they also must pass an extensive background check and drug test. Failure to pass the background check may prevent candidates from getting a job or a gambling license.
Age requirements also vary by state. For specific licensing requirements, visit the state’s gambling commission website.
Work Experience in a Related Occupation
Gambling supervisors and gambling managers usually have several years of experience working in a casino or other gambling establishment. Gambling managers often have experience as a dealer or in the customer outreach department. Slot supervisors and table games supervisors usually have experience working in the activities of their respective areas. Some also have worked in entry-level marketing or customer-service positions.
Advancement
Often, gambling managers are promoted from positions as slot supervisors or table games supervisors. They also may be moved from a management job in another part of the establishment, such as hospitality, after learning about the establishment’s operations through an internship or on-the-job training.
Gambling dealers may advance to become gambling supervisors and, eventually, managers. A slot supervisor or table games supervisor may also advance to become a gambling manager.
Job Outlook
Overall employment of gambling services workers is projected to show little or no change from 2022 to 2032.
Despite limited employment growth, about 19,400 openings for gambling services workers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Most of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Employment
Projected employment of gambling services workers varies by occupation (see table).
Demand is expected to be driven by the increasing popularity of gambling establishments. Additional states currently without commercial gambling establishments may allow new casinos to be built over the next decade in an effort to bring in more tax revenue.
The growth of online gambling may limit employment for some of these workers, including gambling and sports book writers and runners. Although some online gambling is linked to physical locations, online-only gambling sites do not require the same mix of employees.
Also, as more states approve expansions in the number of physical and online gambling establishments, the competition for customers will increase. Establishments that fail to keep or attract customers may close, thereby negating some of the jobs created.
Contacts for More Information
For more information about gambling services workers, visit
Similar Occupations
This table shows a list of occupations with job duties that are similar to those of gambling services workers.
| Occupation | Job Duties | Entry-Level Education | Median Annual Pay, May 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Customer Service Representatives |
Customer service representatives interact with customers to handle complaints, process orders, and answer questions. |
High school diploma or equivalent | $37,780 |
|
Lodging Managers |
Lodging managers ensure that guests have a pleasant experience at an accommodations facility. They also plan, direct, or coordinate activities to ensure that the facility is efficient and profitable. |
High school diploma or equivalent | $61,910 |
|
Public Relations and Fundraising Managers |
Public relations managers direct the creation of materials that will enhance the public image of their employer or client. Fundraising managers coordinate campaigns that bring in donations for their organization. |
Bachelor's degree | $125,620 |
|
Public Relations Specialists |
Public relations specialists create and maintain a positive public image for the clients they represent. |
Bachelor's degree | $67,440 |
|
Retail Sales Workers |
Retail sales workers help customers find products they want and process customers’ payments. |
No formal educational credential | $30,750 |
|
Sales Managers |
Sales managers direct organizations' sales teams. |
Bachelor's degree | $130,600 |
|
Security Guards and Gambling Surveillance Officers |
Security guards and gambling surveillance officers protect property from illegal activity. |
High school diploma or equivalent | $34,770 |
|
Financial Clerks |
Financial clerks do administrative work, help customers, and carry out transactions that involve money. |
High school diploma or equivalent | $45,570 |