The Cordish Companies Wants to Train You to Be a Live Dealer in Virginia

Whether live dealers are some of the best-paid gambling professionals remains open to debate, but the fact is that the Cordish Companies now need a lot of them, as the $600-million property is due to open while a temporary casino is already up and running.

The full-scale launch will see more than 1,600 slots, 65 table games, a poker room, and a dedicated sportsbook, with a 75,000-square-foot temporary venue already set up. 

Training a Cohort of Future Live Dealers 

All of this is great, as employment opportunities abound, but live dealers are in high demand still, so much so that The Cordish Companies is expanding its partnership with Richard Bland College and has launched a second Dealer Institute, following up on last year’s hiring drive.

The premise of the initiative is simple: hire the best candidates for the job by first training them. launched by the Cordish Companies, and the Live! Casino Virginia, the Dealer Institute learning program is designed to be free-of-charge (bar a small essential payment), while offering successful graduates the opportunity to start working at the casino as live dealers. 

Live dealers do not tend to be the best-paid individuals outright, when you look at the raw numbers, with annual salaries ranging from $25,000 to $35,000. However, when factoring in tips, the salaries could easily climb up to $40,000 and $60,000.

Yet, how much a live dealer ends up making would depend on how many hours they put in, how good they are, and how well they connect with gamblers at the table, which translates into considerable tips.

For Live! Casino Virginia’s part, the property is focusing on training a cohort of skilled workers whom it can deploy immediately on its present and future gaming floor(s).

Getting Signed Up and Enrolled 

The training course is seven weeks, and requires students to be at least 21 years of age as well as buy a $50 blackjack kit.

The program is designed not only to train live dealers but also to equip these individuals with the tools necessary to navigate an increasingly challenging consumer-facing hospitality sector, where preserving the integrity of the game remains a greater priority than ever.

The classes are offered from 7-11 am or 5-9 pm Monday through Thursday, with a direct path to a career all but guaranteed. You can find more information about Richard Brown College’s The Dealer Institute, including how to enroll, attend, and where the classes are taking place, here.