Pennsylvania’s decision to permit table games at its new casinos will stimulate hiring in the Poconos this year. Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs has announced it will create a dealer school onsite to train  hundreds of needed workers.

"There’s no previous experience or educational requirement--though you  have to pass an arithmetic test," says casino president Bobby Soper. "The school is free, and on successful completion, folks will be hired in about 325 dealer positions." The casino announced that those posts, plus another 175 support jobs, will be added at Mohegan Sun, which has 2,466 slot machines and employs about 1,000 people. The Plains Township casino, which opened in 2006, had previously announced plans to open a nine-story hotel on site.

The casino expects to introduce games such as blackjack, craps and roulette by early summer, says Soper, adding about 60 table games and a poker room. Training sessions for dealer positions will vary in length from eight to 12 weeks. While all jobs created are above minumum wage, Soper says that dealers’ tip income generally boosts hourly wages past $20 an hour.

Mount Airy Casino in Paradise Township, Monroe County, will add 220 jobs to accommodate table gaming. Mount Airy, which has 2,501 slot machines and a hotel, plans to add 73 table games. Hundreds of applicants attended a job fair at the casino last weekend.

Source: Bobby Soper, Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs
Writer: Chris O'Toole