A call to for seasoned dealers and casino industry professionals from around the globe
The lights of two, new casino hotel skyscrapers in the desert region aren’t just attracting gamblers. They’ve been beacons for seasoned dealers and casino industry professionals from around the globe.
Richard G. Moyse, employment manager of the new, $200 million Fantasy Springs Resort Casino and Special Events Center in Indio, projects that 15 percent of 450 individuals hired in recent months moved from places outside the valley.
When fully staffed, Moyse said the job count at Fantasy should stand at 1,250 employees, a figure that is up 570 positions since July.
The demographic average on hiring is expected to remain the same, Moyse said.
Fueling the interest is the fact Fantasy Springs is not here by itself, Moyse said.
Morongo Casino Resort and Spa, carved out more than 1,000 jobs when it opened its $250 million, 27-story Las Vegas-styled hotel casino in November.
There are three other Indian casinos in the Coachella Valley, and one of them, is positioning itself for major expansion. Last week, Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians said it would build a 14-story hotel, special events center and major retail shopping complex next to Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage.
Job queries come in daily from experienced casino workers across the country, and from places as far away as Nova Scotia, England, Canada, Egypt, Holland and Australia.
Merrick Dresnin, human resources director at the Morongo Casino, said he isn’t sure if Morongo Casino’s hiring percentage from outside the immediate area is as high as Fantasy Springs.
But Dresnin said dealers were lined up as early as 6 a.m., and came from places as far away as Florida, when Morongo Casino held its job fairs to bolster the casino hotel resort’s overall workforce from 1,200 to 2,400 positions. "Most of our casino management have had experience from Vegas or casinos from around the country,’’ he said.
One dealer standing in line was Sergio Gomez, of Stateline, Nev.
Gomez, a part-time dealer at Harveys Lake Tahoe Casino in Nevada, said he didn’t mind spending about $2.50 a gallon for gas to drive to Cabazon and nearby tribal casinos to apply for jobs.
Gomez and another deck-shuffling buddy were looking for new pots of gold. A downturn in the economy had been playing havoc with tips, they said, and they felt California represented a horn of plenty for dealers.
Shareef Belgaid, a Tunisian who cut his teeth on cards in Detroit’s MotorCity and Greektown casinos, landed one of 27 new poker table jobs at Fantasy Springs via a casino in Scottsdale, Ariz.
For Belgaid, each job gave him a chance to learn a new game, get stable hours and earn larger tips. His poker room manager, Mark Pickering, handled cards in Las Vegas casinos, riverboat casinos in Missouri, Illinois, Louisiana and a cruise line in Florida before settling in the Coachella Valley to raise a family with his wife, Amy Tilton, who was also hired to work at the casino as a table games floor supervisor.
Pickering, who likened dealer movement between casinos to a traveling troupe, said, "It gets to a point where you can walk into a casino and spot someone who knew you at one point."
