ATAR Notes: Forum

General Discussion => General Discussion Boards => Employment and Careers => Topic started by: chasej on April 26, 2014, 08:40:50 pm

Title: Does anyone work as a dealer at Crown casino?
Post by: chasej on April 26, 2014, 08:40:50 pm
Casino games are pretty much my favourite hobby, and I would love to to work casually/part-time as a dealer. I just have a few questions for anyone who is a dealer or just knows the answer to my questions.

1. What type of experience/skills do you need to be competitive for a job (and what skills did/do you have?)?

2. What is it like working at Crown, is it enjoyable? Good training etc.?

3. What's the best way to apply?

4. Are you still allowed to play at the Casino, outside of your shifts, as a normal patron?

5. Is there good opportunity for career progression (e.g. promotions to manager etc.) if you chose to stick with the job for the long-term?

Thanks so much for any responses :) Really appreciate it.
Title: Re: Does anyone work as a dealer at Crown casino?
Post by: hobbitle on April 26, 2014, 09:25:28 pm
I worked at Crown for a year but not as a dealer (I was an "talent supervisor" on the gaming floor ie. I looked after the girls in sparkly outfits who dance on a little stage every hour or so, they don't do it anymore I think.)  So I probably can't tell you too much specific except what I heard on the floor.

The training is indeed excellent and you get paid for every hour you have to be in the building.  First aid training, all your dealer training (you'll specialise in 1 or 2 games, the training is about a month full time IIRC). 

Personally I found the gaming floor a really really depressing place to work but if you're into that stuff and/or can block it out then you'll probably be OK.  Obviously it's a lot of being on your feet but they are absolutely religious with breaks for the croupiers, I think you take 15 minutes every hour.  The staff restaurant is just above the main gaming floor at Crown so that's where you go.  You get one free meal per day from the restaurant but that food gets old FAST!

I don't know if you are allowed to play at the Casino off-shift for sure but I think NO is the answer, I can't remember 100% but I know we did have a conversation about it at one point. 

Crown is, as an employer, very good.  I was offered all sorts of promotional opportunities and shit.  I think if you are there long term and are good at what you do, they notice.  You will start on the normal gaming floor and if you show potential and commitment you can get promoted to high roller rooms etc.  I was paid well, I think it was like $28/hr with double time on public holidays and sundays and all that standard stuff.  Don't know about croupier wage.

I got my job through someone I had worked with outside of Crown but I was only casual.  I think they generally advertise on their website and in newspapers like The Age, mostly.  They are, I believe, almost always looking for hospo and gaming floor staff though.  They have a high turnover as the working environment doesn't gel well with a lot of people once they are actually in it (quite a few have issues with supporting the gambling industry blah blah blah but as I say if you're already into it isn't probably not a problem).

Sorry I can't be more specific.
Title: Re: Does anyone work as a dealer at Crown casino?
Post by: brenden on April 26, 2014, 09:33:40 pm
Quote
Personally I found the gaming floor a really really depressing place
It really is, isn't it? I went there once and that was enough. It felt so slimy.


I had a friend whose sister worked at Crown dealing once. Unfortunately, I can't even remember who the friend is, but I remember the working conditions being spoken about positively. $28 an hour though, shit. Think I might pay a visit to the Crown website and quit uni for life. Can't be worse than Macca's.

Edit: Chasej, from the Crown website,
Quote
Candidates will be required to provide two recent professional referees in support of their application.
Title: Re: Does anyone work as a dealer at Crown casino?
Post by: ninwa on April 26, 2014, 09:50:30 pm
I know someone who used to work for Crown and apparently they get treated very, very well. (I guess it's a business decision - dealers make sure Crown gets its profits, so of course Crown is going to do everything it can to keep them happy.)

I don't know about Crown specifically but I've heard that at the Star (the Sydney version of Crown) the dealers are not allowed to play. I don't see why Crown would be any different.

Fuck it's such a shitty place though.
Title: Re: Does anyone work as a dealer at Crown casino?
Post by: brenden on April 26, 2014, 09:53:58 pm
Fuck it's such a shitty place though.
$28/hr
$28/hr
$28/hr
Title: Re: Does anyone work as a dealer at Crown casino?
Post by: hobbitle on April 26, 2014, 10:21:11 pm
Haha I wouldn't work for less than that these days but I've probably got about 7 years in the workforce on you Brenden haha.  It feels good to work for a pay that you feel is worth your time though.  I did my time on $9/hr in fast food... hopefully never again.
Title: Re: Does anyone work as a dealer at Crown casino?
Post by: achre on April 26, 2014, 10:25:31 pm
Quote
Candidates will be required to provide two recent professional referees in support of their application.
(http://i.imgur.com/kUwpl.gif)
Title: Re: Does anyone work as a dealer at Crown casino?
Post by: Fyrefly on April 26, 2014, 10:35:37 pm
I have a few friends who work there too, including a dealer. Work conditions are excellent. There's a staff buffet, your uniform is dry cleaned for you, pay is great, training is very thorough, and you can a discount for all the restaurants and stuff within the Crown complex.

Dealers can NOT play.
Title: Re: Does anyone work as a dealer at Crown casino?
Post by: chasej on April 26, 2014, 11:28:32 pm
Thanks for the responses everyone.

Sounds an excellent job for me. Need to work on getting some references though. The only references I could provide which aren't from family and other close people are from teachers, which I don't think they're looking for, plus I won't be able to complete full time training for around the next 6 or so months (with year 12 happening).

I guess another deal breaker for me is the fact dealers can't play outside of shift, I've had to much fun and good experiences (read: short term luck :P ) at Crown to give it up now.

I'll definitely keep it in mind should I be job hunting sometime in the future.

Thanks again all :)
Title: Re: Does anyone work as a dealer at Crown casino?
Post by: slothpomba on April 27, 2014, 12:00:50 am
One of my mates worked there. Working conditions are excellent, pay is good, they train you up too. It's hard to get in.

The hours are sometimes (or should i say often) "anti-social" (the place doesn't shut, 50/50 shot of working at odd night-time hours i guess). Flexibility would definitely be important to them, my mate basically took 6 months off of uni (or was it a year) to work for them. Granted he deferred his course anyway due to travel (and came back early) but still. I don't know if they'd take someone (considering just how many people apply) with low availability or not willing to work at odd times every once and awhile (if not more).

You aren't allowed to gamble in the casino if you're employed as a dealer, probably shouldn't even hang around your friends gambling (coming from my friend as a dealer). Another friend who worked in one of the crown kitchens said the same about himself, dont know if it was legit though.

It can be a very depressing place. People gamble more than they should, they chase their losses. You see elderly people quite often there and it makes it rather sad (on my view). If you're morally opposed to gambling, this isn't  really the job for you. If you don't think you can handle some of the things you see on the job, it probably isn't for you either. If you don't mind or you can mentally put those things aside, it could work out pretty well for you.
Title: Re: Does anyone work as a dealer at Crown casino?
Post by: Summers on April 27, 2014, 01:45:40 pm
I don't but I can tell you a little bit about it because I obsessed about this.

To get a job it is extremely competitive, like ridiculously competitive. If you can get hours at night it is meant to be a lot of fun. But the people you are dealing with during the day on weekdays would be gambling addicts trying to cash in their dole money, and you'd feel incredibly guilty taking away the last few dollars away from a person who has hit rock bottom whilst encouraging them to go over to the ATM and continue (not actually, but taking their money etc).

The house also makes their money from the machines, and your job is always in jeopardy pretty much.