# Gambling Dealers

US SOC code 39-3011. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/39-3011

Also called: Casino dealer, Table games dealer, Blackjack dealer, Poker dealer, Roulette dealer.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **83,910** US gambling dealers, with median pay of **$34,320** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2021, the May 2025 count is the highest. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://historynet.com/faro-favorite-gambling-game-of-the-frontier/?f) of **3,000** from 1860, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for gambling dealers: Continuous shuffling machines and early RFID chip tracking, 2010 to 2020.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 3.4% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=39-3011&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **14.9%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend.

## Gambling Dealers employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1820
- Latest US employment: 83,910 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [6]
- Latest US median pay: $34,320 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [9]
- Outlook: +3.4% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [22]

### All 29 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1860 | 3,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., HistoryNet [1] |
| 1885 | n/a | $4,160 (estimate) | Est., HistoryNet [7] |
| 1940 | 2,500 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Nevada Resort Association [2] |
| 1960 | 15,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Nevada Resort Association [3] |
| 1985 | 55,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Fox Business [4] |
| 2000 | 84,310 | $13,330 | BLS OEWS 2000 [5] |
| 2003 | 76,120 | $14,200 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [6] |
| 2004 | 82,560 | $14,340 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [6] |
| 2005 | 82,320 | $14,260 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [6] |
| 2006 | 82,960 | $14,730 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [6] |
| 2007 | 86,210 | $15,610 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [6] |
| 2008 | 91,130 | $16,310 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [6] |
| 2009 | 86,900 | $17,030 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [6] |
| 2010 | 85,430 | $18,090 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [6] |
| 2011 | 88,370 | $18,460 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [6] |
| 2012 | 98,310 | $18,630 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [6] |
| 2013 | 98,790 | $18,480 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [6] |
| 2014 | 96,060 | $18,560 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [6] |
| 2015 | 94,900 | $19,000 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [6] |
| 2016 | 94,570 | $19,290 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [6] |
| 2017 | 94,260 | $19,820 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [6] |
| 2018 | 92,530 | $20,120 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [6] |
| 2019 | 98,890 | $21,260 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [6] |
| 2020 | 67,330 | $23,740 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [6] |
| 2021 | 64,700 | $24,960 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [6] |
| 2022 | 71,290 | $29,120 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [6] |
| 2023 | 80,570 | $32,240 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [6] |
| 2024 | 82,980 | $33,280 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [6] |
| 2025 | 83,910 | $34,320 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [6] |

## Sources (85)

### Employment series

1. [HistoryNet -- "Faro: Favorite Gambling Game of the Frontier" (faro dealing workforce, Civil War era)](https://historynet.com/faro-favorite-gambling-game-of-the-frontier/?f), HistoryNet
2. [Nevada Resort Association -- History of Gaming in Nevada: 1930s (April 2, 1931: first eight Clark County licenses)](https://nevadaresorts.org/history/index.php?d=1930), Nevada Resort Association
3. [Nevada Resort Association -- History of Gaming in Nevada: 1960s (gaming revenue exceeded $200M, major Strip properties opening)](http://www.nevadaresorts.org/history/index.php?d=1960), Nevada Resort Association
4. [Fox Business -- History of gambling revenue and employment in Atlantic City since casinos launched in 1978](https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/a-history-of-gambling-revenue-and-employment-in-atlantic-city-since-casinos-launched-in-1978), Fox Business
5. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
6. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

7. [HistoryNet -- "Faro: Favorite Gambling Game of the Frontier" (faro dealer salary: $100 to $200 per week plus house percentage)](https://historynet.com/faro-favorite-gambling-game-of-the-frontier/?f), HistoryNet
8. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
9. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Tool eras

10. [HistoryNet -- "Faro: Favorite Gambling Game of the Frontier" (dealing box, casekeeper, three-person crew)](https://historynet.com/faro-favorite-gambling-game-of-the-frontier/?f), HistoryNet
11. [Wikipedia -- Faro (card game), dealing box and casekeeper history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faro_%28card_game%29), Wikipedia
12. [The Mob Museum -- "Sixty years ago, Nevada entered the modern era of gambling regulation" (Gaming Control Board 1955, Act 1959)](https://themobmuseum.org/blog/sixty-years-ago-nevada-entered-the-modern-era-of-gambling-regulation/), The Mob Museum
13. [HISTORY -- "Nevada legalizes gambling" (March 19, 1931: Governor Fred Balzar signs Assembly Bill 98)](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/march-19/nevada-legalizes-gambling), HISTORY / A&E Networks
14. [UNLV -- "My Nevada 5: The Days That Changed the Gaming World" (1967 corporate ownership law and industry transformation)](https://www.unlv.edu/news/article/my-nevada-5-days-changed-gaming-world), University of Nevada, Las Vegas
15. [Fox Business -- History of gambling revenue and employment in Atlantic City since casinos launched in 1978 (Resorts International May 26, 1978)](https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/a-history-of-gambling-revenue-and-employment-in-atlantic-city-since-casinos-launched-in-1978), Fox Business
16. [Casino.org -- National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC): how the IGRA transformed tribal casinos (revenues $100M in 1988 to $16.7B by 2003)](https://www.casino.org/blog/national-indian-gaming-commission-nigc-tribal-casinos/), Casino.org
17. [Wikipedia -- Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (enacted October 17, 1988; 243 tribes, 532 establishments, $43.9B gross in 2024)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Gaming_Regulatory_Act), Wikipedia
18. [RFID Smart Casino Trends -- RFID playing cards leading the future of table game management (RFID chip tracking overview)](https://www.rfidcard.com/smart-casino-trends-why-rfid-playing-cards-are-leading-the-future-of-table-games/), RFID Smart Casino
19. [Walker Digital Table Systems -- Perfect Table / Perfect Pay: RFID bet tracking, automated payout calculation, fraud detection](https://wdtablesystems.com/), Walker Digital Table Systems
20. [Deckmate 2 -- official WSOP shuffler, 22-second shuffle, onboard card recognition](https://gorillagaming.net/product/deckmate-2/), Gorilla Gaming
21. [Las Vegas Review-Journal -- Will AI put me out of a job? How AI is used in casino gaming (2025)](https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/casinos-gaming/will-ai-put-me-out-of-a-job-how-artificial-intelligence-is-being-used-in-casino-gaming-3615788/), Las Vegas Review-Journal

### Forecasts and exposure studies

22. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 39-3011 Gambling dealers (2025: 88.9 thousand; 2035: 91.9 thousand; +3.4%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=39-3011&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
23. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 39-3011.00, human-rated β 0.149)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

24. [Wikipedia -- Faro (card game): US history from New Orleans spread through frontier era](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faro_%28card_game%29), Wikipedia
25. [HistoryNet -- "Faro: Favorite Gambling Game of the Frontier" (Washington DC: over 150 faro houses during Civil War)](https://historynet.com/faro-favorite-gambling-game-of-the-frontier/?f), HistoryNet
26. [History.com -- "Nevada legalizes gambling" (context: 1909 Nevada gambling prohibition, reversed 1931)](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/march-19/nevada-legalizes-gambling), HISTORY / A&E Networks
27. [Nevada Resort Association -- History of Gaming in Nevada: 1930s (April 2, 1931: first eight Clark County licenses)](https://nevadaresorts.org/history/index.php?d=1930), Nevada Resort Association
28. [The Mob Museum -- "Sixty years ago, Nevada entered the modern era of gambling regulation" (Gaming Control Board 1955)](https://themobmuseum.org/blog/sixty-years-ago-nevada-entered-the-modern-era-of-gambling-regulation/), The Mob Museum
29. [Fox Business -- History of gambling revenue and employment in Atlantic City since casinos launched in 1978](https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/a-history-of-gambling-revenue-and-employment-in-atlantic-city-since-casinos-launched-in-1978), Fox Business
30. [Wikipedia -- Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (enacted October 17, 1988; 532 establishments, $43.9B gross, 2024)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Gaming_Regulatory_Act), Wikipedia
31. [American Gaming Association -- Casinos & Communities: COVID-19 Response (casino closures, employee support, recovery)](https://www.americangaming.org/resources/casinos-communities-covid-19-response/), American Gaming Association

### Predecessors & successors

32. [HistoryNet -- "Faro: Favorite Gambling Game of the Frontier" (faro dealing as the antecedent profession)](https://historynet.com/faro-favorite-gambling-game-of-the-frontier/?f), HistoryNet

### Present-day analysis

- [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Gaming Services Workers, 2024-2034 projection](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/gaming-services-occupations.htm), accessed 2026-06-05
- [O\*NET OnLine — Gambling Dealers 39-3011.00](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/39-3011.00), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Las Vegas Review-Journal — Will AI put me out of a job? How AI is used in casino gaming (2025)](https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/casinos-gaming/will-ai-put-me-out-of-a-job-how-artificial-intelligence-is-being-used-in-casino-gaming-3615788/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Casino.org — AI Dealers, VR Craps, and Robot Bartenders: What Future-Casino Tech Hit (and Missed) in 2025](https://www.casino.org/blog/casino-technology-2025-ai-vr-ar-automation/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Walker Digital Table Systems — Perfect Table and Perfect Pay product overview](https://wdtablesystems.com/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [OysterLink — Casino Jobs Stagnant Until 2034 (BLS projection analysis)](https://oysterlink.com/spotlight/casino-jobs-stagnant-until-2034/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [RFID Smart Casino Trends — RFID playing cards leading table game management 2026](https://www.rfidcard.com/smart-casino-trends-why-rfid-playing-cards-are-leading-the-future-of-table-games/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Deckmate 2 — Official Shuffler of the World Series of Poker, onboard card recognition, 22-second shuffle](https://gorillagaming.net/product/deckmate-2/), accessed 2026-06-05

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.