Gambling Dealers

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025

$34,320

Half earn more, half earn less

Middle half earn

$25,810 – $49,180

25th to 75th percentile

People employed, May 2025

83,910

Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)

Projected change, 2025–35

+3.4%

Growing slower than all jobs (0% to under 3.5%)

Openings a year (projected)

13,300

New jobs plus replacing people who leave

Typical education to enter

High school diploma or equivalent

BLS

• All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
• Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
• Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.

What the work involves

Operate table games. Stand or sit behind table and operate games of chance by dispensing the appropriate number of cards or blocks to players, or operating other gambling equipment. Distribute winnings or collect players' money or chips. May compare the house's hand against players' hands.

Main tasks

• Pay winnings or collect losing bets as established by the rules and procedures of a specific game.
• Greet customers and make them feel welcome.
• Exchange paper currency for playing chips or coin money.
• Check to ensure that all players have placed bets before play begins.
• Inspect cards and equipment to be used in games to ensure that they are in good condition.
• Deal cards to house hands, and compare these with players' hands to determine winners, as in black jack.
• Stand behind a gaming table and deal the appropriate number of cards to each player.
• Apply rule variations to card games such as poker, in which players bet on the value of their hands.

Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.

Getting in

Typical education to enter (BLS)

High school diploma or equivalent

Training once hired: short-term on-the-job training

O*NET Job Zone 1–2

Little to some preparation

Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.

Fields of study that lead here

From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 1 programme to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.

Related careers

Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.

• Gambling Managers

  $93,220 median · +3.6% projected

• First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services Workers

  $63,820 median · +3.5% projected

• Gambling Cage Workers

  $37,580 median · -3.1% projected

• Tellers

  $43,030 median · -13.2% projected

• Gambling Surveillance Officers and Gambling Investigators

  $43,370 median · -1.8% projected

• Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents

  $78,660 median · +1.4% projected