Professional Croupier - What does it take to be a Casino croupier?
The word "Croupier" comes from the French word 'Croup' meaning the person who sits behind the rider on a horse, second place.
The name croupier probably derives from being second, in casino terms, to the game, which isn't all to flattering but it is the recognised official title of a person responsible for the running of a casino game, taking and placing bets and paying out to players when they win.
Other names such as 'dealer' or broker are also associated with casino games. Interestingly, a croupier who supervises other croupiers are nowadays called 'inspectors' but the original french reference to a supervisor was the name 'chef'.
In the UK, genuine professional croupiers are a dying breed. Like so much in modern Britain, commerce and the need to keep costs down have driven out genuine croupiers, and with them, their knowledge, experience and skills. They are still opportunities for people seeking a career in Casinos as detailed below.
Croupier Training in the UK
For anyone thinking about training to be a croupier, remember that most of you working life will be spent during the night. The UK Government has recently increased the available hours allowing casinos to open at 12 midday and close at 6am, with 24 hours casinos within the next few years. Most if not all operate a 'rolling' rota system meaning your days off will change on a weekly basis.
If you can put up with the hours, the next thing to consider is training. Some casinos still do some in house training, some contract their training out to a third party company. The quality of training these days is less focused on teaching good skills which takes time, and more focused on a basic level of training, sometimes on two games (roulette and blackjack) or more commonly just the one.
All croupiers in the UK are required by law to receive a Certificate of Approval from the casino regulator, The Gambling Commission, before commencing work. Any individual seeking work as a croupier must have no criminal record of any kind. Any person who fails to declare previous convictions, no matter how trivial, risks their certificate being revoked and their employment terminated.
Given the uncertainty in the UK casino industry, we would recommend, anyone wishing to train as a croupier, do so with a view of using the skill to travel around the world. With the influx of Eastern European migration into the UK casino industry, wages are either static or falling in real terms with the exception of a few London casinos where it is still possible to earn a reasonable wage but only after 5 to 7 years of experience.
Whilst our business is principally casino hire these days, we are happy to help and advise anyone thinking about becoming a croupier, just drop us a line.
All images of equipment and croupiers on our website have been taken from various parties, weddings & venues we have supplied our services to.
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