In a significant shift in policy, two prominent downtown Las Vegas casinos, Binion’s and Four Queens, are breaking away from the norm by allowing their dealers to retain their individual tips instead of pooling them. This change is aimed at boosting earnings for dealers and attracting more staff during peak casino hours.
Glenn Casale, Director of Casino Operations at Binion’s and Four Queens, elaborated on the reasoning behind the decision. “We found that dealers were likely to earn more by keeping their own tips. The new policy has already had a positive impact on staffing, especially during the busy swing shifts,” Casale stated, as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Impact on Staffing and Dealer Earnings
The move to individual tip-keeping has elicited mixed reactions from staff, with approximately 10% of the workforce at Binion’s choosing to depart due to their preference for tip pooling. Despite this, the casinos have seen success with the new policy. By boosting the potential earnings of dealers, management was able to adequately staff the most bustling shifts, an area where they had previously been operating with a shortage of 30 to 40 percent in optimal staffing levels.
Implementing the new tip policy required extensive planning and preparation. Dealers underwent thorough training to ensure they could proficiently work across all games offered at the casino, as they are now required to rotate between different games every half an hour. This rotation policy prevents any dealer from being stuck at one table for an extended period, which can help alleviate the impact of tables with lower tip amounts, such as Pai Gow. Casale emphasized, “No dealer gets stuck at one game for too long. If a game isn’t performing well or isn’t drawing in a lot of tips, they won’t be stuck there all day.”
Advantages and Drawbacks of Tip Pooling
In Las Vegas, tip pooling is widely utilized, especially due to an IRS program that encourages casinos and their staff to maintain consistent tip rates across various tipped positions. However, under the new policy at Binion’s and Four Queens, dealers must now report their individual tips at the conclusion of each shift, which will then be factored into their payroll for tax purposes.
While some dealers prefer the individual tip-keeping policy for its potential to increase earnings, others, such as Wynn casino dealer and UAW Local 3555 union member Kanie Kastroll, have highlighted the benefits of tip pooling. Kastroll noted that pooling tips can mitigate the risks of favoritism and fluctuations in earnings. Dealers assigned to higher-limit tables may consistently earn more, while those on slower or less popular tables may struggle to match the income of their colleagues.
