The New Normal In Casinos

Turn and face the strange, as David Bowie wisely said. So, as I write this in late May, in Oxfordshire, England, we are in a colossal period of change and uncertainty, and how very strange it all is. Sitting at home and thinking about work, the Corona Virus had certainly given us the chance to reflect on our profession.

Each of us has our preoccupations and one of mine is trying to figure out how land-based casinos are going to operate in this new normal. No poker where the players handle their cards? No Baccarat? More staff to ensure the anti-viral cleanliness of slots, and for heaven’s sake, no cocktail servers?

Rather than concentrate on the practical aspects of Covid proof casinos for the moment, I thought it would be helpful to look at how casinos have adapted over the years, especially in the 41 years I have been working in them, from dealer to C.E.O., and see if that can help us think about where to go from here.

Apart from an enlightened few, we all have the tendency to believe that how “it” was done in the old days is how it should be done today. And I am as guilty as anyone. The training school I ran at the Casino de Montreal in 1994 used very similar techniques to those I had learned by in the U.K. in the Ladbrokes Dragonara Casino in 1978. You may say that as the games haven’t changed much, why should the dealing procedures change much too? But whilst working in Montreal, whether training or as shift manager of 100 plus tables, I was shown that every pre-conceived notion of how to work should be always up for grabs.

And most of the radical changes we made in Quebec were to not only improve the customer experience but just as importantly to benefit the employees. And where did these ideas come from? Often from the newest recruits who had only worked in the Casino for a short time. I know from hard earned experience that it isn’t always senior management who have the best ideas, often-times it is worth listening to the trainee cashier who has never set foot in a casino before working there.

Back in the mists of time I witnessed a revolution in land-based casino gaming which turned all our worlds on their heads. It was called the Chipping Machine. Thanks to the genius of Bertil Knutsson we now had a tool to help us deal Roulette games more smoothly and professionally, not depending on the skills of the colleague (or the lack of) who was supposed to be helping. But did we, as dealers, see this as a positive evolution in the workplace? Some were mature enough to see it as an aid, some of us (myself included) were just excited to play with a new toy, but the majority were convinced we would all be out of work, that the heat and noise would make us ill and we would lose our fingers, or worse, forget how to chip! Butof course chipping machines became a global asset to roulette game operations.

Consequently, each time there has been a shift in technological or procedural aspects of the casino workplace there has often been resistance and suspicion. But if the change has enough merit it will eventually be accepted and embraced.

A further seismic change has been the attitude to Social Responsibility. To my everlasting shame, as a dealer I, along with most everyone else at that time, gave very little thought to the hardships of those we should have known were playing well above their means. But to be fair to the staff at the time, making light of players anger, frustration or distress was on the same level as being expected to accept having smoke blown in our faces by players, or mild threats and intimidation.

Yes, dealers of today would look back on the working practises of the 1970s and ‘80s with horror, so it just goes to show how our business has evolved, in the majority ofcases for the better. The draconian restrictions of the U.K. gaming act prior to the introduction of the 2005 gaming act are seen by some as the good old times; everyone had to be a member, no alcohol on the gaming floor and principally serving hardcore gamblers. But of course, without the changes in legislation it is hard to see how the industry could have survived in a commercial atmosphere where there are so many other ways for clients to spend their time and money on leisure activities, even at home.

In the early days of slot machines in France the majority of casino employees were horrified at the thought of these American games infiltrating the rarefied atmosphere of the gaming floor. Admirably at that time, French dealers thought of their profession as more of an art form than a job. But of course, land-based gaming in France could not have survived without the introduction of slots, and table games in one form or another are still an integral part of the business model.

As recently as 15 years ago some German casinos insisted that gentlemen wear jackets and ties, and on one memorable visit to the Casino in Baden Baden, not so long ago, I was overjoyed to see some male players at the French roulette tables wearing tuxedos. But on more recent visits to Spielbankenall across Germany I have seen a relaxing of the dress requirements as ties and business wear seem to be disappearing from all walks of life, even for casino directors! Adapt and prosper is the mantra we follow today.

A recent innovation in France, which may be seen to be quite prescient in the present climate, is for table and slot gaming in the open air. Obviously, the climate has to be right, but a good idea may have just become a fantastic idea due to completely unforeseen circumstances, entirely out of the control of the operators, where contagion seems to lessen outdoors under the sun.

The wellbeing and safety of employees and clients must remain a high priority for us all, and I hope that the seriousness of the Covid outbreak will act as an encouragement to those in senior management in all areas of our business to take a long hard look at the procedures and safeguards which are presently in place, and continue to develop programmes of continued improvement, and to know that we are all capable of adapting, even under the strangest of circumstances.