A Quantitative Study of Job-Related Stress in a Casino Environment

Abstract

Recent research on job stress indicates that working in a casino environment is much more anxiety-filled than working at a common job. The customer service aspect of the job is harder to fulfill, and all the excitement, smoke and money floating around contribute to the employee’s stress. The level of stress is increased due to downsizing within the casino, atmosphere, being around gambling, and role strain. In this study role strain was measured in many different forms to see what the table games dealers identified as the source of their stress. Most of the dealers did not think that their job was stressful. They thought their roles were clearly laid out, and that taking money from people and working for tips did not cause additional anxiety. The more a dealer wanted to be in their current position, the less stress they felt. The more responsibility a dealer took for the amount of tips they made, the more they tended to be stress free. Though atmosphere may make the casino a difficult place to work, most of the survey participants were satisfied with their jobs. The survey results did not uphold the prior research that casino employees are not happy with their jobs. The dealers did not see their work as particularly difficult to fulfill, and the general consensus was that their job was just like any other job, except it takes place in Las Vegas.