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