Work Environment
Gambling services workers held about 117,100 jobs in 2020. Employment in the detailed occupations that make up gambling services workers was distributed as follows:
- Gambling dealers - 74,100
- First-line supervisors of gambling services workers - 22,000
- Gambling service workers, all other - 9,200
- Gambling and sports book writers and runners - 8,000
- Gambling managers - 3,900
The largest employers of gambling services workers were as follows:
- Local government, excluding education and hospitals - 31%
- Spectator sports - 4%
- Self-employed workers - 3%
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.
Job Outlook
Overall employment of gambling services workers is projected to grow 24 percent from 2020 to 2030, much faster than the average for all occupations.
About 20,500 openings for gambling services workers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many 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
Employment growth will vary by detailed occupation. However, because most of these occupations are small, the fast growth is expected to result in a limited number of jobs over the decade (see table). Much of the projected growth in these occupations is due to recovery from the COVID-19 recession that began in 2020.
Employment will 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.
As more states approve expansions in the number of 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.
Earnings
The median annual wage for gambling services workers was $29,120 in May 2021. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $18,030, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $61,040.
Median annual wages for gambling services workers in May 2021 were as follows:
- Gambling managers - $76,910
- First-line supervisors of gambling services workers - $49,140
- Gambling service workers, all other - $28,990
- Gambling and sports book writers and runners - $27,530
- Gambling dealers - $24,960
In May 2021, the median annual wages for gambling services workers in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
- Local government, excluding education and hospitals - $30,000
- Spectator sports - $27,210
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.
