“Those things are problematic when they happen together.” “Competition for talent is a huge impediment for growth, and we’re also experiencing an expansion of gaming with customer demand increasing,” he said. “In our recent CEO survey, the labor shortage is a top concern across the country. “Gaming is facing the same labor issues that we see across the broader economy,” said Casey Clark, senior vice president of the American Gaming Association, the casino industry’s national trade group. Townsend is part of a great hiring wave taking place at casinos across the nation as the gambling halls compete to add staff while recovering from the coronavirus pandemic that drove customers away and led to staff reductions.īut casinos are just one of many industries struggling to add new workers, and they find themselves competing with each other not only for casino workers, but for people with experience in the hotel, restaurant and tourism industries, to name just a few.

On Monday, Townsend made her move, getting hired on the spot at a job fair held by the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City. “I didn’t know craps, so I had to be honest and tell her, but I went out and I learned it.” “She said, ‘I’ll pay you to move to Florida in two weeks,’ ” Townsend said. While working at one Atlantic City casino last year, she went to a job fair held by a different one, and was surprised at how instantly in-demand she was when the recruiter wanted to hire her as a craps dealer. As a casino dealer, Shamikah Townsend knows when the odds are in her favor. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)ĪTLANTIC CITY, N.J.

conduct a job interview during a hiring fair at the casino on April 11, 2022. Employees at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City N.J.

Stations casino job fair