The Indian casinos in the very competitive Bay Area market are also finding themselves competing for workers. Potential employees are finding that they are often in command when choosing which casino to work for.
The largest in the 15-casino market, Graton Resort & Casino in Rohnert Park, sets the pace for attracting employees, often enticing them from competitors.
An American Gaming Association survey released this month found that casino CEOs “rank the labor shortage and competition for talent as a top concern for the industry’s continued growth.”
One employee who left a job he had at Cache Creek Casino for seven years to move to Graton told the North Bay Business Journal, “A lot of times, it’s not always greener on the other side of the pasture, but I wanted to take a chance to move up in slots, so I did.” He added, “It was probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my career and in my life.”
Graton marches to a different drummer, with higher wages, regular bonuses and an atmosphere that treats employees like valued family members.
Greg Sarris, tribal chairman of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, told the Journal, “We’re always looking for people. Currently, we’re hiring across the board in food and beverage, gaming, hospitality, facilities, security — all of those positions.” The casino has always offered 100 percent paid health insurance and in 2021 announced an across the board 10 percent pay raise for its 2,000 employees. Each quarter, employees who don’t have points against them get a $1,000 bonus.
The much smaller River Rock Casino in Geyserville, with about a tenth of Graton’s employees, competes in other ways. It offers $2,000 signing bonuses and in-house training for positions like dealers. River Rock CEO and General Manager Sue Ascanio told the Journal, “We do offer dealers school,” adding, “You don’t have to have experience (but) you have to have personality.”
She believes the casino’s culture sets it apart from larger competitors. “I think it’s like ‘Cheers,’ where everybody knows your name. That’s how we look at it with our guests and with team members. It’s that family atmosphere.”
She adds, “We do have a dedicated talent specialist. That is all she does is come up with creative ways to recruit to retain team members … but it’s not a one-person team. We’re all ambassadors.”
Another small casino, Twin Pine Casino and Hotel, is always short staffed and always hiring, says director of marketing and guest services, Kyle Lewis.
The casino, which has 220 employees, provides customer-service training, leadership development programs and training for dealers and pit bosses. Lewis told the Journal, “We want our employees to be able to see that there’s upward mobility within the company.”
That path can start on the gaming floor and lead to becoming a dealer. If a hotel employee, it can lead to finance, accounting and marketing. “It just opens so many doors and creates opportunities for them to move around and move up within the company,” observed Lewis.
He notes that many employees have worked there for more than 10 years, and adds, “Our chairman is always saying that we’re a family business, and we try and live by that.”
