Due to the burgeoning gambling industry, many people are finding that working as a casino dealer is an increasingly alluring employment option. An estimated 43,370 positions will be occupied in the US alone by 2029 due to the growing need for dealers, providing a bright future for individuals with an interest in the sector.
Although entry-level jobs pay modestly, there’s a considerable chance for huge earnings. Usually, dealers begin with a basic rate (experienced dealers make more) and increase their profits by “tokes“, as they are called in the business (short for “tokens of appreciation“), which are essentially dealer’s tips. In the past, dealers kept these tokes for themselves. Casinos are now taking a more equitable stance by combining and allocating them to employees.
Even if it’s not as glamorous as it used to be, a dealer may still make over $100,000 with simply a few months of coursework and no college degree. They don’t work on the side of the road or a hot roof. Although they are paid for eight hours, they rarely work more than six because they are given breaks every hour or hour and a half to rest and recuperate. In exchange, they have to work nights, weekends, and holidays, experience harassment from players, and breathe in secondhand smoke every minute of their days at work. They’ll most likely have to start off earning little money in a brand-new casino and putting up with managers whose behavior often borders on the one of an unsound mind.
Therefore, let’s take a closer look at what a dealer can earn. We’ll begin by discussing the elements that influence their pay.
A casino dealer’s pay might vary greatly depending on the sort of casino and its location.
Because of the greater cost of living and increasing demand, casinos located in large cities or well-known tourist locations typically pay higher wages. Furthermore, dealers in upscale resorts or casinos frequently receive higher payouts than those at smaller, neighborhood venues.
One would think that Nevada’s largest city, Las Vegas, is the epitome of profitable advice for casino dealers. The reality is more nuanced. Tipping frequently leads to mediocre pay in oversaturated markets like “Sin City”, where there are many employees in the sector. The average hourly wage for casino dealers in Nevada in 2024 is $19.96, which is very similar to the $19.25 national average.
Nevada isn’t even listed among the top five highest-paying states for dealers in the United States by Yahoo Finance, even though it has the highest number of employed dealers of all 44 states where casino gambling is allowed in the nation.
Of course, we can’t deny that dealers may not be earning much money in places that are far from big population centers. Whether you work in a land-based casino or one of the top live dealer casinos, your pay may also vary.
A casino dealer’s pay is mostly determined by their amount of experience and skills.
Experienced dealers with a solid track record may be paid more than entry-level dealers, who usually make less. Increased earning potential can also result from specialized skills, such as mastery of several games or the capacity to work in high-stakes environments.
A dealer’s total income may be significantly impacted by casino revenue, but more importantly, the amount of money a casino dealer makes depends on how the casino divides up tokes. Tipping is common in various nations, including the US, Canada, and Australia, and it accounts for a sizable portion of dealers’ income. A number of variables, including dealer performance, game popularity, and client generosity, might affect how much of a tip is given.
Although it’s sometimes assumed that each dealer keeps the tips, this is rarely the case. There are very few casinos known as “Go For Your Own” houses that don’t divide tips. The majority will combine the tips and then divide them using a template.
Poker dealers are an exception to this rule. They usually take their own. It’s impossible to predict how much money a skilled poker dealer makes because they can earn a lot of money if they are able to hustle and get along with people. Dealers in poker and casinos are typically kept apart and rarely interact.
Some casinos will divide the total tips by the number of hours worked over the course of two weeks. The tokes from the days you worked will be divided by the number of hours worked by others. In certain extreme circumstances, the casino could even use the tokes from the actual shift that you completed and then distribute those by hours worked. Dealers who work the busiest shifts on the weekends may be compensated with a share of a significantly larger toke pool for those days or even shifts. Therefore, even dealers working at the same house might not earn the same amount—in some cases, they might not even come close.
The early out is another way that dealers at the same facility can not earn nearly as much.
An early out, which is both adored and despised by dealers worldwide, enables you to add your name to a list. Should the casino overbook or begin to close games at the end of the evening, they’ll cut these dealers and allow them to leave for home. When working a rotating shift, where it is rarely busy enough to require all the dealers for their entire eight hours, this is very prevalent. On other occasions throughout the week, you might be able to leave the office after working just four or five hours at night.
Your paycheck may suffer greatly as a result of this. However, because fewer games are closing during the day shift, a dealer may work all of their hours in a given week. It varies greatly. Hours will also differ if you work at one of the numerous live blackjack online casinos.
Determining how much casino dealers are paid is further complicated by the same scheduling issue, as casinos only have a time frame of four to six hours when they are extremely active. The majority of casinos employ staff on an on-call or part-time basis. They do this because, although they typically require considerably fewer employees, they have a lot of business on the weekends and during a few hours on weeknights when they are forced to staff everything.
Additionally, by employing dealers on a part-time basis, they can evaluate them, determine whether they are an appropriate fit for the casino, and ensure that they deal swiftly and error-free before granting them all the expensive benefits. Due to the low base income, the employer may have to pay multiple times as much for the perks as they would have for salaries alone. These benefits include paid time off and insurance.
While anticipating a full-time position to open, some dealers at upscale homes with relatively little turnover may wait for years, living without benefits or insurance and rarely being permitted to work more than 30 hours per week.
Dealing at casinos may present chances for professional growth and higher income.
Dealers who gain experience can advance to supervisory positions or become pit bosses, whose duties include managing other dealers and supervising many tables. Promotion to more senior roles may result in pay raises and other perks.
Some of the same problems that perplexed our analysis of casino dealers’ earnings worldwide with an emphasis on high-standard countries will also play a role here.
Depending on experience, state, and casino size, casino dealer pay in the US can vary significantly.
A casino dealer there often makes between $20,000 and $50,000 a year. However, for knowledgeable and proficient dealers, the total revenue can exceed $60,000 or even $100,000 annually when tips are taken into account.
The province, size of the casino, and amount of experience all affect casino dealer pay in Canada.
A casino dealer in a country that borders the US typically makes between C$30,000 and C$50,000 per year. A dealer’s entire earnings are greatly influenced by tips, which are an essential component of their revenue.
Salary levels for casino dealers are often higher in the UK than in many other nations, both in Europe and beyond.
Out there, a casino dealer’s base pay typically falls between £18,000 and £30,000 per year. Their total revenue can be greatly increased by tips, which enables seasoned dealers to make more money.
Location, casino reputation, and dealer experience are some of the elements that affect casino dealer pay in Australia.
A casino dealer in “The Land Down Under” typically makes between A$40,000 and A$60,000 a year. Their earnings can be further increased by tips, especially in well-known tourist locations.
These days, there are many ways to learn how to work as a casino dealer.
Prior to the abundance of dealing jobs, the usual path to becoming a casino dealer was paying thousands of dollars to attend a dealing school/course/training and then scrounging around for a part-time job to get experience. However, with so many dealing occupations in demand, you may land a decent job right out of school based on your abilities and how many games you know after schooling is over.
They can’t teach you patience or customer service at the training, so before you even begin learning how to deal with them, make sure you realize how much you need both.
If your initial goal is to learn solely blackjack, a casino dealer training program can take as little as a few months. A lot of casinos now provide in-house training; some will even pay you your base salary or extra while you’re enrolled. In less than 30 days, they guarantee to teach you how to play blackjack and get you on the casino floor earning a healthy living. However, in order to obtain the paid training, you have to commit to working at that property for a predetermined amount of time.
Paid training does seem appealing, especially because some dealing schools charge $10,000 or more to teach you all the tricks and then fail to guarantee a job. Community college, if you’re in the US or Canada, is an additional choice. Numerous community colleges have begun to provide career training in casino dealing, and occasionally, these programs are linked to real casinos that are seeking to hire break-in dealers. Naturally, your on-the-job training will be your actual training.
You won’t be prepared for your first encounter with actual, live casino patrons, regardless of where you receive your instruction. They just can’t be simulated in a training environment. Because players are frequently irate, inebriated, and confused, it can occasionally be challenging to tell which individuals will be which.
The supervisors behind you are frequently far more powerful than the players. You could assume that supervisors would sympathize with you because they are typically composed nearly entirely of former dealers. It would be a major misrepresentation. Dealers frequently acquire a gallows sense of humor that’s only found in persons who are frantically trying to get through their day because they are surrounded on all sides by agitated players and psychopathic supervisors.
You’re prepared to move on to your next casino once you’ve developed the thick skin and sardonic attitude required for the job and made sure to learn as many games as you can, including at least baccarat, roulette, and craps. In order to gain a fundamental grasp of how the games operate, start by reading articles on how to play craps and roulette.
The fact that switching to a better casino is the only option to increase earnings is another difficult part of being a casino dealer.
A 3% annual increase in base pay won’t help cover the costs, and casino toke rates won’t rise unless management takes action to attract better and more players, which is unlikely to occur. Therefore, our daring dealer will have to try their luck at a better casino, which may need a list of required games and several years of experience before they’ll even give you an audition. If you have enough patience, you’ll eventually get your chance.
Casino dealers can earn six figures, US dollar-wise, in this way. However, it’s undoubtedly not a road for everyone, which is likely why it first pays so handsomely.
Below is a summary of the benefits and drawbacks of being a casino dealer.
| PROS | CONS |
| In just six weeks, you can learn the job. | You work on the weekends, holidays, and at night. |
| No degree is required. | Facing occasionally hostile, inebriated, and violent visitors. |
| High potential income. | Inhaling other people’s smoke throughout the whole shift. |
| Lots of breaks. | You can get a mentally disturbed manager supervising you. |
| Numerous time starts are possible. | Part-time job for a long period of time. |
As you already figured out, the location, type of casino, level of experience, and tips all affect casino dealer pay. Tips from players can greatly increase a casino dealer’s earning potential, even though base salaries serve as a starting point. Earning potential is also influenced by elements including job progression chances, casino repute, and geographic location.
It’s crucial to investigate particular casinos and areas when thinking about a career as a casino dealer in order to get a more realistic picture of the possible pay and perks of this line of work.
