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Deal / Dealer Careers

Dealer Careers

How to get in, and where the job can go. Tychon checked the numbers.

88,900dealers working in the US, 2025
13,300dealer openings a year, projected 2025 to 2035
Diplomahigh school or GED is the usual bar to start

Getting In

Five steps. The casino makes the hire.

  1. Meet the basics

    A high school diploma or GED is the usual bar. Schools and casinos often test basic math and run a background check.

  2. Learn a game

    Start with one game. Train at a casino school or a private school, and practice in between.

  3. Pass the audition

    You deal a live game for the people who hire. The audition decides.

  4. Get licensed

    The casino starts your license after the offer. Rules change by employer and regulator.

  5. Work the floor

    Casinos run nights, weekends and holidays. Ask about the schedule before you say yes.

How to Train

Casino school

Free at some casinos. They train you for their games, then audition you. Classes fill fast.

See free schools

Private dealer school

You pay tuition, often per game. Get the full cost in writing before you sign.

Practice in between

The Dealer Path grades every read. Free to start. Play money only.

Start the Dealer Path

The Ladder

One common path. Titles change by casino.

  1. Dealer

    Deal one game well.

    $34,320US median a year, Gambling Dealers

  2. Second game

    Add blackjack, craps or another game. You can cover more tables.

  3. Dual-rate

    Deal some shifts and supervise others.

  4. Floor supervisor

    Watch a group of tables. Make rulings and coach dealers.

    $63,820US median a year, First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services Workers

  5. Pit manager

    Run a pit and its supervisors for a shift.

  6. Shift manager or director

    Run table games for the room.

    $93,220US median a year, Gambling Managers

Pay is the US median for each occupation. Michigan dealers: $29,120. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025 wage data, read from O*NET OnLine. Half earn less. Not a promise, and not a raise we cause.

Licensing

It depends on who hires you and who regulates them.

Detroit casinos

The Michigan Gaming Control Board licenses dealers. You apply through the casino after an offer. Gaming jobs are 21+.

Tribal casinos

Each tribe licenses its own dealers. One checked example: at Soaring Eagle, a license covers only the casino named in your application.

Other states

Each state has its own gaming regulator. Start with the employer.

Side Work

Dealing private nights between shifts.

  • Private play-money nights pay per event.
  • Get written OK from your employer first. Some casinos and regulators limit outside dealing.
  • Our bookings are play money only. No buy-ins and no cash prizes.
  • We never charge dealers for access to work.

Deal our nightsYour dealer profile

Our Rules

  • Casinos hire. The audition decides. We never promise a job.
  • Dealers never pay to find a job or be hired.
  • We never rank dealers or send employers scores.

Start the Dealer PathDealer JobsGet job alertsDealer ProOur Impact

How Tychon checked

  • Pay and job counts: published data. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025 wage data, read from O*NET OnLine.
  • The diploma bar: O*NET. 69% of people asked said a new dealer needs a high school diploma or GED.
  • Michigan licensing: the Michigan Gaming Control Board's own page.
  • The tribal example: the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan's own Gaming Code.
  • The ladder: a rule of thumb. Titles and steps change by casino.

Checked Nov 10, 2026. Rules and numbers change, so confirm with the casino before you act. Sources: O*NET, dealers, supervisors, managers, Michigan Gaming Control Board, Saginaw Chippewa Gaming Code.

The pay numbers

  • Each number is the US median for a whole occupation. Half earn more, half earn less.
  • Michigan dealers: median $29,120 a year, $14.00 an hour. Same source.
  • Pay includes tips reported to employers, so real tips may be under-counted. Pay changes by room, game and shift.
  • Steps with no number have no federal job code of their own.
  • A move up is the casino's call. We make no claim about anyone's pay.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025 wage data, read from O*NET OnLine. Job codes 39-3011, 39-1013 and 11-9071. Checked Nov 10, 2026.

How licensing works

Detroit casinos

  • Dealers hold a Level 2 occupational license from the Michigan Gaming Control Board.
  • Apply through the casino's HR first. The Board needs a written statement that the casino has hired you or plans to.
  • The Board lists a $100 application fee and a $100 license fee for Level 2. Ask the casino who pays.
  • The background check can take several weeks. A temporary license may come first.

Everywhere else

  • Tribal casinos license through the tribe's own gaming commission. The Tribal casinos card has one checked example.
  • A new regulator usually means a new application. Ask before you move.

Michigan facts from the Board's license page, checked Nov 10, 2026. The rest is a rule of thumb. The full Where You Can Deal guide will come with Dealer Pro.

Tribal casinos

One checked example: Soaring Eagle

  • The Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan licenses its own gaming employees. Its code lists dealers as key employees, who must hold a license (Sections 2.25 and 6.1).
  • You apply to the tribe's gaming commission (Section 6.2.1).
  • A license is good only for you and only for the casino named in your application (Section 6.5).
  • It lasts one year, then you renew (Sections 6.6 and 6.7).
  • The code sets 18 as the youngest age for a license (Section 6.2.1). Ask the casino what age it hires dealers at.

Other tribes

  • Rule of thumb: each tribe has its own gaming commission, license and age rules.
  • Rule of thumb: a license from one tribe or from the state does not carry over. Ask HR before you move.

Example read in the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan Gaming Code, as amended Nov 15, 2023, checked Nov 10, 2026. We have not checked other tribes yet. Confirm with the casino before you act.