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EXECUTIVE CASINO HOST
Position Description
The gaming industry is in large part a people business. There are many casinos that people can visit. Each casino tries to be the most hospitable to their clientele. The Executive Casino Host is in charge of welcoming guests to the facility.
This is usually a salaried position. It is the perfect job for someone who is friendly, likes people, enjoys socializing, and is good at it. The Executive Casino Host meets and greet customers who come to the casino. The individual has a high-visibility job. He or she walks around the casino, talks to guests, and answers questions regarding the facility.
Casinos often welcome people who are known in the industry as "high rollers," people who spend a great deal of money gambling in the casino.
The Executive Casino Host is in charge of meeting with these individuals. When people spend a lot of money in casinos, the facility often "comps" goods or services for these individuals. (Comp is short for complimentary and means that the casino provides these items or services free.) A casino may, for example, comp rooms, meals, or drinks, depending on how much an individual is spending in the casino. The Executive Casino Host is often responsible for tracking the high rollers, who are also known as high-limit customers.
He or she can then authorize the complimentary amenities. One of the responsibilities of Executive Hosts is to actively develop players. The more revenue is gambled at a casino, the higher its returns, so depending on the specific job, Casino Executive Hosts are not only expected to meet with high rollers but often expected to actively seek them out.
In the gaming industry, extremely high rollers are also referred to as whales. These whales can significantly affect the bottom line of a casino. As a result, in order to attract these individuals to a specific casino, the host may offer extremely generous perks such as special "lavish high-roller suites," the use of private jets and limos, free tickets to the hottest shows, and meals at the top restaurants.
In addition to meeting with everyday casino customers and high-limit guests, the Executive Casino Host is in charge of meeting and greeting celebrities who visit the facility and gamble, stay at the hotel, or perform in the casino’s showroom or nightclub.
In order to build up traffic in casinos, most facilities maintain players’ clubs. These clubs offer various amenities and specials to people who are members. The Executive Casino Host is expected to attend players’ club functions and events designed to attract and keep members. As part of the duties of this job, the individual may explain players’ club membership to new members.
The Executive Casino Host holds an important job in the casino. Some of the other job functions of the individual include:
- Assisting in the development of special promotions, events, and functions to attract new members to the players’ club
- Assisting customers and players’ club members with dinner and show arrangements
- Providing other guest services
- Answering questions regarding the casino
Salaries for Executive Casino Host
Annual earnings vary from approximately $40,000 to $100,000 or more depending on a number of variables. These include the specific casino in which the individual works as well as its size, prestige, and geographic location. Other factors may include the individual’s responsibilities, training, and experience. Generally, individuals working in larger casinos in the major gambling capitals have higher earnings than their counterparts in smaller casinos or those in other geographic locations.
Employment Prospects
Casinos usually have a number of Executive Casino Hosts on staff. In many facilities there is one for each shift. Executive Casino Hosts may find employment in casinos throughout the world. Employment opportunities are good for qualified people. While individuals may find employment in any casino in the world, most opportunities exist in areas where there are a large number of casinos.
Advancement Prospects
There are a number of different paths Executive Casino Hosts can take to career advancement. Some individuals obtain experience and move on to similar positions in larger or more prestigious facilities, resulting in increased responsibilities and earnings. Other Executive Casino Hosts climb the career ladder by finding administrative or management positions in player development or other casino operations.
Education and Training
Education and training requirements for Executive Casino Hosts vary depending on the specific facility. The educational requirement for some positions is a high school diploma or GED. Other facilities prefer that their employees in this position have gone through some sort of formal training. A college background or degree may be required or preferred. As in most jobs in casinos, experience may often be accepted in lieu of education. In this instance, experience dealing with the public would be extremely helpful.
Many casinos have on-the-job training programs. Some have their own in-house training programs. Community colleges, vocational technical schools, and gaming institutes throughout the country also offer training useful to jobs in the gaming industry. Individuals working in casinos must be licensed by the state in which they work.
Special Requirements
State licensing is generally required for employees working in or around the gaming area in casinos. Generally this license is issued by a regulatory agency such as the specific state’s casino control board or commission.
Each state has its own rules and regulations regarding which specific occupational licenses and permits are necessary for casino employees. In some states, for example, individuals must apply for and obtain a general gaming license. In some there are various levels of licensure and permits. Certain states may require a key employee license for those working in the management area of casinos.
The human resource department of casinos provide individuals with specific licensing requirements for each position.
Experience, Skills, and Personality Traits
The ideal candidate for this job will have had extensive experience dealing with the public as well as experience working in casinos in some capacity.
Many Executive Casino Hosts were promoted from the position of casino host. Others worked in other areas of gaming. A variety of skills are needed to be successful in this area. Customer service skills top the list. Individuals should be friendly, enthusiastic people who enjoy socializing with guests.
Excellent communications skills are essential. Organization skills are also helpful. A good memory for faces and names can be useful.
Unions and Associations
Usually this is not a unionized position. Individuals interested in learning more about this type of job should contact casinos or a local gaming institute, academy, or college offering classes in gaming.
Tips for Entry Executive Casino Host
1. Get experience dealing with the public by working as a receptionist or host in a restaurant or in customer service in retail.
2. The more you know and understand about the gaming industry and casinos in general, the more marketable you will be. Take classes at a gaming institute to learn more about the industry.
3. Positions for this type of job are often advertised in the newspaper classified section in areas hosting gaming. Look under headings such as "Executive Casino Host," "Casino Host," "Gaming," "Player Development," or "Casinos."
4. If you don’t live in an area hosting gambling and are interested in looking for a job, consider subscribing to a newspaper in an area that does. You can usually buy Sunday newspapers from different parts of the country in better bookstores and newspaper shops.