As a result of the recent legalization of table game gambling by Pennsylvania state authorities this summer, high school graduates enrolled in community college are now able to study and train to be casino dealers.
Northampton Community College, located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, is one of the schools that is offering this program and has reported that 180 students are currently enrolled in its various courses.
The increase in the number of schools offering casino dealer training programs has quickly increased, as has the number of students enrolled in them, as a result of the legalization of table game gambling; because of this, all the state casinos have been scrambling to hire enough dealers. An entry-level job as a casino dealer is rather appealing, as recent graduates can expect to land jobs that offer around $40,000 a year, as well as a variety of benefits such as health insurance and vacation time. According to David Schweiger, the director of Northampton Community College’s hospitality program, many jobs as casino dealers are available and graduates can expect to gain employment as long as their take their studies seriously and master the skills they will need to perform these jobs.
A huge advantage of the casino dealer training program at Northampton Community College is the short length of time required to complete it. Students can expect to be trained in two and a half months and be fully qualified for a job as a casino dealer. Northampton recruited the Sands Casino, also located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to help the college with designing their training program, as well as to assist with teaching some of the classes.
Reading Area Community College is another Pennsylvania school that offers education in the field of casino training; its program is comprised of four online classes. Community College of Beaver County has decided to open a training center with the specific purpose of housing its casino dealer training classroom. Its program offers training in craps, roulette, poker, blackjack, baccarat, and carnival games.
While it may seem that this surge in local casino dealer training program will result in too many trained dealers and not enough jobs, according to the Pennsylvania State House Gaming Oversight Committee, 4,460 jobs were created in less than a month as a result of the legalization of table game gambling. Unfortunately, however, this large employment opportunity appears to be limited to Pennsylvania; the Mohegan Sun casino located in Connecticut announced that, as a result of a decline in revenues, it would have to lay off around 350 employees.
