In casinos, when you watch a man or woman running the roulette game, dealing out the cards for blackjack, or placing bets for craps, you are looking at a gaming dealer. Gaming dealers are skilled, licensed operators of these games, who must make sure the game runs smoothly, look for any potential signs of cheating, and keep customers happy or deal with those who have just had disappointing gambling results. In the US, the majority of gaming dealers work in Nevada or New Jersey, but this profile is changing with the growth of Indian casinos throughout the US.

Being a gaming dealer doesn’t necessarily mean having an education beyond high school, or even a high school diploma. However, you do have to be skilled at math, since you will be counting out money or chips for winners, and collecting from losers. Some casinos offer people on the job training to become gaming dealers, and you can also find training for this profession at a few professional and/or trade schools. People may have a better chance of finding employment if they are already trained, of have certificates like the Professional Casino Croupier certificate. If you’re evaluating schools and training, ask about statistics regarding employment and placement of graduates at casinos.

Another requirement before you can start your career as a gaming dealer is to have a license. License requirements, such as age and the price of a license, vary by state, but do be aware that most casinos may ask you to have licensure before they hire you. This may not be the case if you’re working for a casino in some other capacity before becoming a gaming dealer.

Your value as a gaming dealer will increase if you know how to operate all games, so that you can work any of the available tables at any given time. Some dealers only are trained on one game, but being able to work two or more games is usually better if you’re looking for work, since you automatically have more to offer a casino. Another asset to bring to this work is a good personality and an even temper. You naturally want to encourage people to stay around and keep betting at various games, but it’s also not unusual to have to deal with people who are frustrated when they lose.

There are some downsides to the gaming dealer profession, among them, potential exposure to a lot of second hand cigarette smoke, since some casinos still allow smoking indoors. The pace of your work is quick, and the work environment frequently noisy. Some people thrive in this type of environment and others don’t care for it. The employment rates for gaming dealers are expected to expand in the US, since many states are now authorizing the building of casinos.