How Much Do Casino Dealers Make? (Vegas & Canada Focused)

By Alex Smith, Last updated Mar 22, 2024

As most everyone knows, the gambling industry is worth billions of dollars each year. With online gambling rapidly opening up in the USA, there’s more interest than ever before in being a casino dealer.

You may be surprised to learn that casino dealers can earn quite a decent wage. Those located in major gambling hubs like Las Vegas will earn the most, but even croupiers working in smaller town casinos can make good money. We will look at how much casino dealers make, specifically in Vegas and Canada.

How Much Does a Casino Dealer Make in Las Vegas?

As with many industries, getting concrete information on how much casino dealers make in Vegas can be challenging. Not all employees are willing to share this information, and most casinos will make their employees sign NDAs. There are also many factors to consider; things like experience, the types of games dealt with, and what tables the croupiers are working on can greatly impact their earnings. While information is scarce, data on the average salary is available.

Most dealers in Vegas earn around $39,000 per annum. However, this is not take-home pay and doesn’t include taxes. That may sound like a relatively low wage, but this salary may increase if dealers work longer hours or train on more casino table games. 

Furthermore, dealers in Vegas also can transition to poker dealers. In the high-stakes poker rooms, the salaries for dealers can increase significantly – with some of the high-end dealers earning 6-figures per year!

How Much Does a Casino Dealer Make In Canada?

In Canada, most dealers are on an hourly rate rather than an annual salary, making it a bit harder to get a good idea of the average salary. However, we’ve been able to break things down by region. For example, in Ontario, the median hourly wage for a croupier is $20.70, while in Hamilton, it rises slightly to $20.90.

This median rate seems to be the same across the board; the only province that sees notably higher hourly rates is the Windsor-Warnia Region, where a casino dealer can expect to make $23 per hour on average.

Some dealers may be trained on just a couple of games, while others can handle up to 10 casino table games. The dealers who can work at more tables can earn a higher amount of real money from their job.

How Much Money Do Croupiers Make From Tips?

One of the reasons the casino dealer salaries we’ve just looked at above may look relatively low is that the figures above don’t consider tips, a significant portion of many croupiers’ salaries. 

The land-based casino industry is a service industry. In the USA, many dealers boost their paycheck significantly through tips; with a little bit of charm towards players and dealing some good game rounds, dealers can make a significant amount of real money from tips.

There really isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to how much dealers can make from tips. Most of the time, at land-based casinos, the tip’s size is directly tied to the stake size. For example, a dealer at a Blackjack table with a maximum bet of $100 would expect to make a lot less in tips than a table with a maximum bet limit of $5,000. 

However, even at the low end of the scale, it’s estimated that the average casino dealer will make around $15 per hour in tips – a pretty significant figure when you consider this over a month or year.

A lot of the number for how much a casino dealer can make from tips depends on how the land-based casino operates its tips system. 

Some land-based casinos, for example, will require all of their casino dealers to pool their tips together; these are then shared out at the end of the month. Other casinos will allow each casino dealer to keep their tips. Each system has its advantages and disadvantages.

Now, when you look at the higher end of the scale – particularly in Las Vegas and casinos with high-rollers – top-level croupiers can find themselves making around $50 in tips per hour. 

Over a day, this adds up to hundreds of dollars – and with tips, some dealers can enjoy salaries of up to $180,000 per year!

Now, of course, tips aren’t mandatory when you’re gambling – and some players refuse to tip, even if they’re on a huge winning streak. However, it’s generally considered good gambling etiquette to tip the dealer. Even if you’re on a losing run, try to remember that this is their job – their livelihood, and they rely on tips to bump up their salary.

Still, the average casino dealer, including tips, can expect to take home in the region of $40,000-$50,000 each year – a fairly good salary.

Training To Be a Croupier & Perks of the Job

One of the biggest perks of getting into the gambling industry is that you don’t need any experience. To become a casino dealer, you need to be able to put on a happy face and have a basic understanding of math. The cost to become a casino dealer is very low. Typically, training courses are priced at under $1,000, and many land-based casinos will pay for these themselves anyway – or they may train new dealers in-house.

Being a casino dealer is also incredibly flexible. Since most casinos are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, it gives you a lot of flexibility to work the hours you want to work, making the job ideal for those at university and need to work strange hours. Of course, there’s a flip-side to that, as night shifts can be problematic for some people.

Shifts are also relatively short when compared to other jobs. While the average casino dealer will work an 8 hour shift, only around 6 of these hours are spent working because croupiers are given frequent breaks to ensure that they’re on top of their game when dealing real money games.

Being a casino dealer also comes with a wide variety of perks; bonuses are one of the biggest of these perks. For example, some of the major players in the industry offer a wide variety of benefits and bonuses to their long-term employees, with some even offering health and retirement plans and paid holidays!

Plus, there’s room for flexibility where you work, too. For example, if you don’t want to work in a physical land-based casino, you can work on a cruise ship. There’s also the potential of becoming a live casino dealer, dealing games in custom-built studios for the online gambling industry.

However dealers work, it’s clear that there are plenty of growth opportunities. If you dream of becoming a casino dealer, you hopefully realize that it’s an easier industry to enter than you may think.

Career Expansion; Beyond Dealing Casino Games

Some people believe that becoming a casino croupier does not provide prospects for progression; however, this is not the case. Most employers encourage their croupiers to migrate from one company-owned location to another and even to other sites. Furthermore, as croupiers acquire expertise, they have access to a wider range of career prospects within the casino.

A croupier’s hard work, devotion, and excellent work ethic may result in a supervisory job in two years or less. A croupier may become a pit boss, making more than $50,000 per year if they continue to develop their abilities.

Gaining casino croupier expertise is advantageous since experienced croupiers may be hired as online casino game supervisors or pit bosses.

FAQs

Do I need experience to be a casino dealer?

No! While experience as a casino dealer is an advantage, you don’t need any prior experience to become a croupier. Many land-based casinos are happy to train new dealers up, often through a special in-house program they’ve set up. Provided you’re capable of being friendly with customers and can handle basic mathematics, you’ll be a casino dealer in no time at all!

What casino games can I deal as a croupier?

Croupiers can deal a wide variety of casino table games; some of the most common include Blackjack, Roulette, Baccarat, Casino Hold ’em, Craps and 3-Card Poker. There’s also the option of training up to be a poker dealer. This typically earns you more money (in major cities, anyway), although it requires extra training, and you’ve got to keep your eye on the ball. It’s more intense than certain other casino table games.

How much cash can I make as a casino dealer?

The amount of money you can earn as a dealer can vary depending on where you live, how much experience you have, and what hours you’re willing to work. With many casinos open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, there’s plenty of opportunities to work nights, allowing for higher pay. Even those who work during the day can earn a healthy salary. Including tips, croupier salaries in the US and Canada typically earn around $40,000-$50,000 per year.

What are the average shift times like for a casino dealer?

Most dealers will work an 8-hour shift. However, only around 6 hours of these 8 will be spent actually working. Most croupiers deal a table for one hour, then take a 30-minute break.

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