The Real Experiences of
Casino Employees
Presented by: Robert Jacobson
Former Casino Employee & Executive Director of
The California Council on Problem Gambling
WHO AM I?
• Robert Jacobson, Executive Director of CCPG
• Raised in Las Vegas
• Family in gaming since 1982
• Fifteen (15) Years’ Casino Experience:
• Varied positions/levels in:
• F&B
• Table Games/Poker
• HR/Training
REAL EXPERIENCES: THE COWBOY
HISTORY OF GAMBLING
• Bone Dice & Cave Paintings
• Lotteries
• California, Gold Rush & Poker
• Vegas, No Vegas, Vegas
• 21st Century / Internet
Casino (1)
Lottery (13)
1975
GAMBLING BY STATE 1975
GAMBLING BY STATE 2013
Racetrack, Racinos &
Lottery (2)
Racetracks and
Racinos, Lottery, &
Commercial Casinos,
Tribal Casinos, Sports
Betting, Card Clubs (20)
Lottery and Commercial
Casinos, Tribal Casinos,
Sports Betting & Card
Clubs (18)
Racetrack &
Commercial Casinos,
Tribal Casinos, Sports
betting, Card Clubs &
Sports Betting (1)
None(2)
Commercial and Tribal
Casinos, Sports Betting &
Card Clubs (4)
Lottery only (3)
LAS VEGAS: THE CAPITOL OF CASINOS
• Sweating the money: the “post-mob days” • Protection from cheaters or superstition?
• 1990s: A Family Town? • A booming industry
• Teenage gambling & first experiences • A big win? Turning $0.25 into $100!
• Casino marketing (free food and cigarettes for everyone!)
• 2000s: The Information Age • Big Corporate, Mergers & Science
• Diluted talent
CALIFORNIA: THE UNEXPECTED COMPETITOR
• Prop 5 and the Media
• FBI raids? No way – vote yes on 1A!
• Barns and trailers and tents, oh my? Now it’s high
rises touching the sky!
THE NEWBIE MEETS THE NEWS YEARS’ EVE GUY
POP QUIZ!!!
Q: Which state has the highest annual gambling revenues?
A: California, with over $7B/year – even more than Nevada!
Q: Which state has the most tribal casinos?
A: Gotcha – it’s Oklahoma! Does anyone know why???
Note(1): Retrieved from 500 Nations website 10/8/12
Note(2): Native American casinos only; California, Nevada, etc. have more
total gambling
GAMBLING IN CALIFORNIA
• Lottery, Horse
Tracks/OTB
• Tribal Gaming vs. Card
Rooms
• Unprecedented
growth, 1999-2007
LET’S TALK ABOUT “MATH” BABY
• What is the House Edge?
• What is Hold?
• Can casinos be beaten legally?
• Advantage Play vs. Cheating
• How are comps calculated?
• How do dealers make their money?
THE RESTAURANT OWNER
EMPLOYEE FLOW CHART
Hierarchy
• Leadership (BoD/Tribal/Owner, GM/CEO)
• Executive (VP/Director)
• Upper (MOD/CSM/Shift Mg/Asst. Shift Mg)
• Middle (Shift Sup/Asst Shift Sup)
• Entry Level (Sup/Leads)
• Line Level
• Position
• Front of the house (dealer vs. hotel vs. golf)
• Back of the house (hr vs. marketing vs. chef)
WHAT IT’S LIKE TO WORK IN A CASINO
• Atmosphere / Environment
• Drugs/alcohol (sometimes in their cars)
• Entertainment vs. Hostility
• Sweating the money?
• Comp systems
• Culture
• Short-term vs. Long-term
• Employee Pride
• Attitude towards guests (public vs. private)
RAGS TO RICHES TO RAGS
A DEALER’S OFFICIAL DUTIES
• Deal a variety of table or poker games
• Accurately track results (won/lost)
• Do (often complex) math in their head
• Limit to 1 mistake/week (10,000+ decisions)
• Provide “exceptional” customer service
• Complex yet precise movements with
hands, body, while sitting/stooping for long
periods of time
AND THE UNOFFICIAL DUTIES: EMPATHY & ABUSE
THE INHERITANCE GUY
AND THE RESULT IS…
• “Friends”? Dispassion vs. Compassion
• Only see them in the casino (not @ home)
• Know about families, friends, etc., but don’t
“know” them
• Perceived professionalism
• Mental compartmentalization
• Closing Time! – Cognitive Dissonance
• Disassociation from cause-and-effect
• Decreased value of money (desensitization
& “gambling for a living”)
EMPLOYEE GAMBLING (WITH EDUCATED ESTIMATES)
• 7 times more likely to develop a problem*
• Desensitization
• Only see/hear the jackpots
• Tipped employees “gamble for a living”
• “Win together” / Splits & Doubles / Etc.
• Poker dealers “go on play”
• Gambling partners get tipped better
• Employees may return 30% of payroll**
• Miss work (“calling in from the poker room”) * Estimates range 5 to 15 times; no definitive studies
** Unverified estimate from some casino executives
IMPACT ON LIFESTYLE
• Smoking
• Sidebar: impact of smoking on gaming
revenue
• Shift Work
• Negativity / Pain
• Drugs?
• Strict policies
• “Pain, pain go away, come and test me some
other day”
A “BRAVE” NEW WORLD FOR CASINO EMPLOYEES?
They want to help, but many casino employees can
be confused, afraid or uncertain as to what they are
allowed to do, and how best to do it. Still, many of
today’s casino executives are working to breed new
cultures which have a better understanding of how
gambling addiction impacts business.
• Addiction Cycle; Hitting “Rock Bottom”
• Public Relations/Word of Mouth
• Hostility, Other Personality Changes
• Employee morale
• The “iPhone Example”
THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING!
1-800-GAMBLER
California Council on Problem Gambling: 714-765-5804 www.calpg.org
California Office of Problem Gambling: 916-327-8611
www.problemgambling.ca.gov
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