Casino Work and Dress Code

Casinos have fairly strict policies as to what people wear and why. In the Finance Department, we are required to wear one of two uniforms which were discussed in the last blog. However, I will mention that each section of the rest of the casino wear distinguishing uniforms. For example: dealers (both poker and table games (they are very different yet similar)) wear black shirts with gold trim, black pants and sneakers and most have small aprons with pockets for varying reasons. Slot attendants wear red shirts and are very easily identifiable. Security guards wear mostly wear gold or blue blazers with black shirts, and can be pretty intimidating. Most people that work in the food court wear rust orange shirts, and so on. Why am I mentioning this?
Well, the saying that "the clothes make the man" is not very prevalent in the casino world unless you account for 2 areas. In every area of the casino except for cocktail servers and those that work in the H Lounge, we all pretty much look alike. Males and females wear the exact same clothing and those clothes are not so much a costume as a cover up. What does this say to guests? Well, to me, the translation is: we are all approachable, we are a unit, and we are here not to show off, but to assist and be out of the way. I don't mean this to be negative, but in support of the fact that we are not the focus of the guests. The guests choose those they want to entertain them.
Now, those in the cocktail serving areas as well as the H-Lounge Bar are part of the entertainment. The women do wear costumes: skirts, halter tops, jackets (if need be) and shoes that have some sort of heel. The H-Lounge women wear short shorts, halter vests and shoes with a heel and most wear either fishnets or bare legs. These people do compete for tips, guests, etc, but they also work to help one another in the back. What guests rarely see are these people washing glasses together, mixing drinks for one another and giving support to each other when they need it.
Each area of the casino is like that. There is a network, a team, a unit, that supports one another and will help to warn each other of trouble going on. If guests see anyone in uniforms differing from these conventions, it is safe to say that they are looking at people that need to be very identifiable such as leads, supervisors or managers.  Our uniforms do the same for guests: We are here to help, we are identifiable, and we are here for you and each other.

Introduction: Welcome to HCCTR

When I applied to Hollywood Casinos at Charles Town Races, I honestly did not think that it would have much to do with my major in Communication and New Media, but I was wrong. How wrong was I? Well, after taking Media Studies with Kevin Williams last semester, I was about as wrong as anyone can get.

Before I get into that, let me break down what my job entails at the casino, because there are several areas that people don't see unless they work there. Originally, I was hired as a Cage Cashier/Window Attendant. These are the people the public sees and primarily deal with. Our uniform consists of a gold shirt with black trim, black pants and black sneakers/comfortable shoes. Full time employees work 10 hour shifts, 4 days a week, and I will not disclose money amounts. I will say that we are paid above minimum wage and we are able to receive tips.
However, there are 4 "background jobs": TR, Revenue, Chip Bank, and Main Bank. Each of them consists of the same uniform: blue polo shirt, black pants and black sneakers. Outside of the Cage, I work in TR (Ticket Redemption) which deals with the machines on the floor that scan tickets from slot machines and will also break down large bills into smaller denominations.
I was trained in Revenue briefly and Main Bank and Chip Bank are on my list, but I haven't been trained in them, yet. I do know some of what they involve. They will be discussed as they come up through this blog series.

This is a brief overview of the job(s), but it still begs the question: What does this have to do with Communication? In the next 9 blogs, there will be an in depth exploration as to how Communication and New Media directly translates into a job at the Casino.