From Croupier to Manager: Careers in mostly state-owned casinos follow well-defined paths. These paths can also lead you to the HellSpin casino.
There are still fifteen minutes until the game begins. The roulette hall of the casino in Garmisch-Partenkirchen is dimly lit. Only a faint clicking sound can be heard.
Behind a thick glass pane, cashier Klaus prepares the chips. With nimble hands, he counts stacks of plastic tokens. Picking up, spreading out, counting, and picking up again. Hundreds of times a day, over and over. The movement must not only be precise; it must look elegant and effortless. Just like with the croupiers. Eight of them are set to begin the first afternoon shift. They will work at the roulette tables in teams of four.
But for now, they are huddled in the canteen waiting. In contrast to the glamorous gaming hall, it looks quite rustic there: tables and chairs are oak-veneered, and photos from the last company parties hang on the wood-paneled walls. Only the attire of those present seems oddly out of place. Everyone wears black jackets and trousers, white shirts, and a bow tie. So does Claudia. The 24-year-old has been working as a croupier in the Garmisch casino for two years. “A perfectly normal job,” she says, “like at a bank.”
Perhaps she’s being a bit modest. When she opens the French roulette table with her colleagues at 2:45 PM, she has a serious, dignified expression on her face.
Approximately 3,500 croupiers work in the 65 German gaming establishments. Most of the casinos are still directly or indirectly owned by the federal states. These semi-state structures ensure that everything in most casinos runs along well-defined paths. Careers here also progress more solidly than one might think.
Croupiers have to work their way up over decades — quite literally. Their position at the roulette table reflects their professional status. Beginners stand at the lower end of the table, placing the guests’ chips. The path then leads to the wheel and eventually to the other end of the table. There, seated on a chair, is the table head who oversees the proceedings. Some croupiers remain at the table for a lifetime. Others manage to leap to floor chief, perhaps to technical manager, and then must ensure the smooth operation of the entire casino. They are rewarded with salaries of up to 5,000 euros or more. The earnings of table croupiers are more modest: beginners earn around 1,500 euros, while more experienced colleagues bring home at least 3,500 euros.
Competition from Slot Machines
Traditionally, croupiers are paid from the tronc, the tips from guests. However, this was only moderately filled last year.
German casinos are also suffering from the recession: in 2002, the growth-favored industry had to cope with declining revenues. For the time being, no new gaming establishments are expected to emerge in this country, according to Matthias Hein, managing director of the German Gaming Association. Moreover, the so-called classic games like roulette or poker have been suffering for years due to the growing popularity of slot machine games.
This has led more casinos to pay their croupiers a fixed base salary, which is supplemented from the tronc depending on experience. Claudia is still at the very beginning. She found her way into the croupier profession through a newspaper advertisement. At that time, the Casino Bad Wiessee was looking for new recruits. “More out of fun,” says Claudia, she applied for the three-month, free evening course. Depending on need, the casinos organize such courses themselves to recruit their future staff.