Spot worn or damaged cards
Inspect the deck and your other gaming gear for damage or wear before play starts.
Career profile
Gambling Dealer
Gambling dealers run casino table games, deal cards and pay players whose bets win.
Dealing well means doing two things at once. Your cards and payouts stay exact while you chat with the players across the table.
A day in the life
Deal a round and find winners
Make sure every bet is down, deal each player the right cards, then compare hands for the winner.
Pay winners and collect losing bets
Work out what each winner is owed, push over the right chips, and gather in the losing bets.
Explain rules and flag problems
Answer players' questions about how the game works, and tell a floor supervisor when something looks irregular.
Quick facts
High school + job training
United States · 2025
$34,320/year
United States · May 2025
3.4% projected growth
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
High school + job trainingTypical preparation is a high school diploma or equivalent followed by short-term training.
Pay
$34,320/yearNational median: $16.50 an hour, including tips reported in the wage survey.
Outlook
3.4% projected growthAbout 13,300 dealer openings per year are projected nationwide.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You enjoy precise hand work that repeats throughout a shift.
- You can keep counting accurately while someone talks to you.
- You are comfortable explaining rules patiently to unfamiliar people.
Things to weigh
- Nights, weekends, and holidays are common working times.
- Long stretches at a table can mean prolonged standing or sitting; casino noise and, in some venues, smoke add strain.
- You must stay composed when a player becomes upset or breaks a rule.
Where AI may help
In live-game studios, cameras and recognition software turn physical cards or roulette results into data for online play.
What people still lead
A live dealer still handles the cards or wheel and interacts with players through the broadcast.
What we can’t predict yet
Automated table games also exist. How much work moves to automated games versus live tables and studios remains uncertain.
Pay in context
Earnings
Compare the hourly rate, tips, and scheduled hours when judging a dealer job's pay.
National midpoint and spread
The May 2025 median was $34,320 a year, or $16.50 an hour. The bottom tenth earned $24,040 or less; the top tenth earned $77,090 or more. These are wage percentiles, not beginner and experienced pay rates.
Check what the rate includes
The national figures include tips but exclude overtime premiums and benefits. Annual figures assume 2,080 hours of work. Ask how tips are distributed and how many hours you can expect.
Workplace pay differs
For historical context, May 2023 dealer averages were $20.74 an hour ($43,140 annually) in Gambling Industries and $18.31 ($38,070) in Traveler Accommodation. These industry means are older than the national median above and are not current job offers.
Openings include replacement hiring
Employment is projected to grow 3.4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 13,300 openings annually from growth and worker replacement. That is a national projection, not a count of jobs available now.
Getting started
Join a studio that trains beginners
Two consecutive weeks of academy training in the Philadelphia program.Paid
- What the route involves
- At Evolution's Philadelphia studio, learn casino games and streaming equipment through paid training.
- What it can lead to
- Prepare to host live games on camera without prior dealing experience.
- What to check
- This employer requires applicants to be at least 21, pass background checks, and obtain and maintain a Pennsylvania gaming license.
Learn to deal before applying
- What the route involves
- Practice table games in a dealing course. College of Southern Nevada offers hands-on classes using casino equipment.
- What it can lead to
- Build game skills for a dealer audition, which employers commonly use when hiring.
- What to check
- Completing school does not guarantee a job or replace gaming-license requirements.
Check the local minimum age and gaming-license requirements before paying for training; background checks are commonly part of entry.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Get steady at one table
Build a reliable rhythm for dealing and checking payouts without rushing the count.
Add another game
Train in another game, such as craps or roulette, and learn its different procedures.
Move into floor supervision
With experience, pursue table-games supervision, overseeing dealers and several tables.
Where you can work
Casino floor
Players sit or stand across from you amid other tables and casino noise. Floor supervisors circulate nearby.
- Indoors
- Shift work
- Physical demands
Live-game broadcast studio
You deal on camera, read player chat, and follow screen prompts. Some studios offer a smoke-free setting; the work still involves shifts on site.
- Indoors
- Shift work
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
With a deck of cards, deal two cards to each of three imaginary seats while explaining your sequence aloud. Repeat for five minutes and check for missed or extra cards. Notice whether accuracy stays comfortable while you talk.
Stay safe: Use no money or wagers; this exercise needs no casino visit or gambling account.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. 39-3011.00 — Gambling Dealers. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Gambling Services Workers. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational projections and worker characteristics, 2025–2035. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- O*NET OnLine / U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. National Wages: Gambling Dealers — 2025. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Technical Notes for May 2025 OEWS Estimates. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. May 2023 Occupational Employment and Wages — Gambling Dealers. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Evolution. Philadelphia entry-level game host and casino dealer. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Evolution. Pennsylvania studio careers and training. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- College of Southern Nevada. Casino Management Program. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Gaming Laboratories International. Live Dealer Gaming Test & Evaluation. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- IGT. Electronic Table Games. Accessed 2026-10-03.