/ 25 / / 24 /

Journal of Macau Gaming Research Association

the most important considerations in creating and
maintaining a competitive advantage for a hotel (or,
for that matter, any hospitality organizations). Mac-
intosh et al. (1992) stated that the casino sector is a
major force in the tourism industry because it serves
as the most radiant destination attraction and can attract
millions of travelers. Las Vegas and Macau are both
famous tourism destinations. In a sense, human reso-
urce management (HRM) issues in the casino industry
look similar to those other hospitality and tourism
industries are now facing. In recent years, with the
development of the tourism industry, many academics
and industrial professionals published their journal
papers, conference papers and books about human
resource issues in the context of tourism and hospi-
tality industries. These studies offer a strong academic
support to casino HRM. On the other hand, the casino
industry is so special a business that it does not simply
mean games or recreational activities, it also relates
to legal and moral issues. Law and morality toward
casinos not only affect gamblers but they also affect
employees job performance, behavior and loyalty to
the industry. This is why HRM for casinos is a critical
issue with greater complexity than that in other tourism
and hospitality industries. Although there have been
some studies on HR in casinos, they did not explore
the issues in depth. This study attempts to fill the gap.
Thus, the objectives of this study were to investigate
the current HRM challenges in the casino industry
and to explore the possible implications for industry
practitioners to consider.
a situation is gained through a holistic perspective
(Beverley Hancock, 1998). The survey used a conve-
nient sampling method to invite 20 academic profes-
sionals including 9 experts in the casino in dustry and
1 government official. The percentage and background
of respondents were shown in Table 1.
The respondents personal characteristics such as
age, gender, nationality and marital status did not
come within the scope of study, but they are familiar
with the casino industry and have HRM-knowledge
in casinos. The writer interviewed those respondents
by means of face-to-face discussion, telephone interview
and e-mail communication by herself.
Based on a review of the casino effect literature,
the interview questions were comprised of two major
parts: the first part asked the respondent to identify
the biggest HRM challenges in the casino industry
and the second part requested the respondent to suggest
possible solutions to solve these challenges.
Findings
The answers to the first part of interview questions
shows that most of the respondents rated the psycho-
logical security as the biggest and most serious issue
in the casino workplace (48 per cent), followed by em-
ployees workplace deviant behaviors in casinos (37
per cent). Employee turnover was rated the third (10
per cent). Others included training, employees job
satisfaction, and salary and so on. However, their per-
centages were low totaling about 5 per cent. In the
respondents opinions, comparing with psychological
Methodology
Qualitative method was used in
this study to find out industry expe-
rts opinions about HR challenges in
casinos. The reasons are: 1. Quali-
tative method is concerned with the
opinions, experiences and feelings
of individuals producing subjective
data; 2. The research method can
describe social phenomena as they
occur naturally; 3. Understanding of
The School of Tourism Management,
Hainan University, PR China
The School of Hotel and Tourism Manage-
ment, Hong Kong Polytechnic University,
Hong Kong, SAR, PR China
HR managers in casinos in Macao SAR,
PR China
Government official in Zhihai Tourism
Association, PR China
No. of Respondents Percentage(%) Organization
6
4
9
1
30
20
45
5
Table 1
Abstract: It is a qualitative study that attempts to
identify human resource (HR) challenges in the casino
industry, in which academics, industry practitioners
and Chinese government officials were interviewed.
Findings show that psychological issues and work-
place deviant behaviors are critical in the casino work-
place. High turnover is also one of the biggest HR
challenges for casino management. Practical implica-
tions are suggested for casino practitioners in the areas
of recruitment and training to help minimize the nega-
tive impacts of the HR problems.
Keywords: Casino, HR challenges, Psychological
Security, Deviant Workplace Behavior, Employee
turnover
Introduction
The casino is an important part of social life from
past, present to future, from eastern to western nations.
However, people hold a very ambivalent attitude to it
and the casino, as a special issue, has been disputed for
a long time. With rapid social and economic develop-
ment, people have more time to enjoy and money to
spend on entertainment and leisure than in the past.
Casinos appear to be a favorite entertainment venue
to some of them. Although casinos are often perceived
as evil, this perception has changed. For instance,
American people have evolved as casinos spread across
the landscape (Minkyung, et al., 2000) and they have
come to see casino gambling as an acceptable recrea-
tion activity (Vallen, 1993). Moreover, governments
attitudes and policies to casino have also facilitated
the changes. Many governments see casinos as money
generating tools that can help spur economic growth.
For example, the National Opinion Research Center
(1999) in the United States pointed out that America
is experiencing a casino boom. One of the important
reasons is the United States have legalized gambling
as a means of attracting more tourism (Long, et al.,
1994). Thus, the casino industry grasps a good oppo-
rtunity to develop the business, so casino locales are
attempting to broaden their markets to include people
who were traditionally beyond the profile of gambling
travelers, families and younger adults (Yoshihashi,
1992). The expansion of the casino industry allows
casino managers to recruit more staff. However, given
the escalation of customers demand for gambling,
casinos have to recruit, train, and administrate their
employees so that they can provide high quality ser-
vices for their customers.
Human-capital considerations top the list of curr-
ent managerial concerns in the hospitality industry
(Cathy, 2001). Tracey and Nathan (2000) pointed out
that effective human resources management is one of

Daisy X.H. Du*
Exploring Human Resource Challenges in the Casino Industry

* Daisy X. H. Du, Lecturer, School of Tourism Management, The Hainan University, PR China

/ 25 / / 24 /
Journal of Macau Gaming Research Association
the most important considerations in creating and
maintaining a competitive advantage for a hotel (or,
for that matter, any hospitality organizations). Mac-
intosh et al. (1992) stated that the casino sector is a
major force in the tourism industry because it serves
as the most radiant destination attraction and can attract
millions of travelers. Las Vegas and Macau are both
famous tourism destinations. In a sense, human reso-
urce management (HRM) issues in the casino industry
look similar to those other hospitality and tourism
industries are now facing. In recent years, with the
development of the tourism industry, many academics
and industrial professionals published their journal
papers, conference papers and books about human
resource issues in the context of tourism and hospi-
tality industries. These studies offer a strong academic
support to casino HRM. On the other hand, the casino
industry is so special a business that it does not simply
mean games or recreational activities, it also relates
to legal and moral issues. Law and morality toward
casinos not only affect gamblers but they also affect
employees job performance, behavior and loyalty to
the industry. This is why HRM for casinos is a critical
issue with greater complexity than that in other tourism
and hospitality industries. Although there have been
some studies on HR in casinos, they did not explore
the issues in depth. This study attempts to fill the gap.
Thus, the objectives of this study were to investigate
the current HRM challenges in the casino industry
and to explore the possible implications for industry
practitioners to consider.
a situation is gained through a holistic perspective
(Beverley Hancock, 1998). The survey used a conve-
nient sampling method to invite 20 academic profes-
sionals including 9 experts in the casino in dustry and
1 government official. The percentage and background
of respondents were shown in Table 1.
The respondents personal characteristics such as
age, gender, nationality and marital status did not
come within the scope of study, but they are familiar
with the casino industry and have HRM-knowledge
in casinos. The writer interviewed those respondents
by means of face-to-face discussion, telephone interview
and e-mail communication by herself.
Based on a review of the casino effect literature,
the interview questions were comprised of two major
parts: the first part asked the respondent to identify
the biggest HRM challenges in the casino industry
and the second part requested the respondent to suggest
possible solutions to solve these challenges.
Findings
The answers to the first part of interview questions
shows that most of the respondents rated the psycho-
logical security as the biggest and most serious issue
in the casino workplace (48 per cent), followed by em-
ployees workplace deviant behaviors in casinos (37
per cent). Employee turnover was rated the third (10
per cent). Others included training, employees job
satisfaction, and salary and so on. However, their per-
centages were low totaling about 5 per cent. In the
respondents opinions, comparing with psychological
Methodology
Qualitative method was used in
this study to find out industry expe-
rts opinions about HR challenges in
casinos. The reasons are: 1. Quali-
tative method is concerned with the
opinions, experiences and feelings
of individuals producing subjective
data; 2. The research method can
describe social phenomena as they
occur naturally; 3. Understanding of
The School of Tourism Management,
Hainan University, PR China
The School of Hotel and Tourism Manage-
ment, Hong Kong Polytechnic University,
Hong Kong, SAR, PR China
HR managers in casinos in Macao SAR,
PR China
Government official in Zhihai Tourism
Association, PR China
No. of Respondents Percentage(%) Organization
6
4
9
1
30
20
45
5
Table 1
Abstract: It is a qualitative study that attempts to
identify human resource (HR) challenges in the casino
industry, in which academics, industry practitioners
and Chinese government officials were interviewed.
Findings show that psychological issues and work-
place deviant behaviors are critical in the casino work-
place. High turnover is also one of the biggest HR
challenges for casino management. Practical implica-
tions are suggested for casino practitioners in the areas
of recruitment and training to help minimize the nega-
tive impacts of the HR problems.
Keywords: Casino, HR challenges, Psychological
Security, Deviant Workplace Behavior, Employee
turnover
Introduction
The casino is an important part of social life from
past, present to future, from eastern to western nations.
However, people hold a very ambivalent attitude to it
and the casino, as a special issue, has been disputed for
a long time. With rapid social and economic develop-
ment, people have more time to enjoy and money to
spend on entertainment and leisure than in the past.
Casinos appear to be a favorite entertainment venue
to some of them. Although casinos are often perceived
as evil, this perception has changed. For instance,
American people have evolved as casinos spread across
the landscape (Minkyung, et al., 2000) and they have
come to see casino gambling as an acceptable recrea-
tion activity (Vallen, 1993). Moreover, governments
attitudes and policies to casino have also facilitated
the changes. Many governments see casinos as money
generating tools that can help spur economic growth.
For example, the National Opinion Research Center
(1999) in the United States pointed out that America
is experiencing a casino boom. One of the important
reasons is the United States have legalized gambling
as a means of attracting more tourism (Long, et al.,
1994). Thus, the casino industry grasps a good oppo-
rtunity to develop the business, so casino locales are
attempting to broaden their markets to include people
who were traditionally beyond the profile of gambling
travelers, families and younger adults (Yoshihashi,
1992). The expansion of the casino industry allows
casino managers to recruit more staff. However, given
the escalation of customers demand for gambling,
casinos have to recruit, train, and administrate their
employees so that they can provide high quality ser-
vices for their customers.
Human-capital considerations top the list of curr-
ent managerial concerns in the hospitality industry
(Cathy, 2001). Tracey and Nathan (2000) pointed out
that effective human resources management is one of

Daisy X.H. Du*
Exploring Human Resource Challenges in the Casino Industry

* Daisy X. H. Du, Lecturer, School of Tourism Management, The Hainan University, PR China

security, workplace deviant behaviors and other HR chall-
enges appear to be not critical and are easy to deal with.
Discussions
1. Employees Psychological Security (EPS)
EPS gets wide attention in todays world, which
can be described as the level of safety an employee
feels in his or her workplace. According to Maslows
Need Hierarchy Theory (1987), five basic need levels
were categorized: 1. physiological; 2. safety and
security; 3. belonging, love, and social; 4. esteem;
and 5. self-actualization.
Casino employees work long hours in casinos. In
this situation, he/she stands a big chance to become a
gambler and even problem-gambler. Shaffer and Hall
(2002) indicated in their study that casino employees
represent a unique and highly vulnerable segment of
the population, who have been found to have a much
higher rate of gambling disorders because they have
a greater access and exposure to gambling as com-
pared to the general public. One of the problem-
gamblers matters is psychological problem.
In addition, Garry et al. (2003) further explained
the casino definition as follows: (1) an element of risk
is involved; (2) there is a winner and loser-money,
property or other items of value change hands Lad-
ouceur (2002) characterized gambling as follows: (1)
players wager money or an object of value; (2) this
bet is irreversible once placed; (3) the games outcome
relies on chance. The change hand of big cash and pro-
perty and the chanciness of winning and losing are
violent mental stimulations. On one hand, the stimula-
tions can make people happy and excited, which may
be the original and important purposes that most gam-
blers hanker for. On the other hand, when gamblers
are over excited, those stimulations become dangerous
things.
There have been studies on problem casinos and
problem gamblers psychological issues (such as Gupta
& Derevensky, 2000; Ron & Edwards, 2005; Shaffer,
Vander, & Hall, 1999, etc.). Some of them simultane-
ously pointed out that the psychological pressure does
not only exist among gamblers, but also affect casino
employees via gamblers. The main reason is: in this
service industry, most casino employees have direct
contacts with the customers they serve and the feed-
back they get from their customers includes not only
things like satisfaction level, job performance, etc.
(as often discussed in related studies), but also their
customers feelings and emotions which are complex
and constitute psychological pressure to them. As a
result, some casino-employees psychological symp-
toms are similar to those of problem gamblers.
The matters of EPS, from job perspective, can
lead to job dissatisfaction, poor job performance, and
working frauds. From the individuals perspective, it
can cause employees abuse of tobacco, alcohol, drug
and heroin (Shaffer & Hall, 1996). Other problems
are also very significant in the casino-group, such as
divorce and suicide. The National Opinion Research
Center (1999) noted that gambling appears to be a
significant factor prior to divorce.
2. Employees Workplace Deviant Behavior (WDB)
Actually, DWB is not a rare phenomenon, and
many employees have attested to having such behaviors
(Hsieh et al., 2004). Harper (1990) reported that 33 to
75 per cent of employees have engaged in deviances in
their workplace. The DWB produces organizational
losses estimated to range from $6 to $200 billion ann-
ually (Murphy, 1993). Workplace deviant behavior
(WDB) was defined by Robinson & Bennett (1995)
as voluntary behaviors that violate significant organ-
izational norms and, in doing so, threaten the well-
being of an organization, its members or both. Further
to that, employee deviance is voluntary in that employ-
ees either lack the motivation to conform to normative
expectations of the social context or become motivated
to violate those expectations (Kaplan, 1975). Previous
studies showed that fraud, vandalism, theft, lying,
malicious rumors, withholding effect, aggressive beha-
vior and sexual harassment are most predominant
activities in DWB (Griffin et al., 1998).
Casino WDBs are much grimmer than those in other
industries, which are commonly found as frauds,
cheatings, etc. Nevada Gaming Commission indicated
that during 1999 to 2000, one third of theft or cheating
in casinos were committed by the casinos own staff
members (Derek & Douglas, 2001). Another example,
six swindling casino employees, including a senior
manager, colluded to defraud in a Scotland casino
over 1,000,000 pounds over a four-year period in a
scam centered on baccarat. In this case, it was believed
that the table supervisors skimmed up to 2,000 pounds
a night (Ron & Randy, 2005).
Gary et al. (2003) pointed out that employees
cheatings in casino venues occur in the following
ways: (1) tampering with the instruments of gambling;
(2) play-employee collusion (e.g. signaling the dealers
hole card in blackjack, etc.); and (3) miscellaneous
scams such as altering bets after the fact. Gary et al.
also categorized both directly and indirectly casino-
related crimes as follows: (1) illegal gambling, such
as bookmaking, keeping a common gaming house
and cheating at play; (2) criminogenic problem gamb-
ling, such as forgery, embezzlement and fraud; (3)
gambling venue crimes that occur in and around
gambling locations, such as loan sharking, money
laundering, passing counterfeit currency, theft, etc.;
(4) family abuse victimization of family violence,
child neglect, suicide and home invasion. A casino-
employee as a gambling participant or operator is poss-
ible to be lured or even take the initiative in those
crime activities.
Insiders frauds, cheatings and crimes in casino-
workplace not only harm customers, organizations and
employees themselves but they also derogate public
impression of this industry.
3. Employee Turnover
Employee turnover is a critical issue to many indu-
stries. High turnover and rapid change of employee
faces in an organization can affect employees com-
mitment and incur high costs in recruitment, training,
administration, and morale. The Chartered Institution
of Personnel and Development (2005) concluded the
major reasons for turnover in Figure 1.
Employee turnover was high-lighted as the most
/ 27 / / 26 /
Promotion outside the
organisation
Lack of development or
career opportunities
Change of career
Level of pay
Level of wordload
Leaving to have/look
after children
Lack of support from line
managers
Level of working hours
I will health(other than stress)
Stress of job/role
Relocation
Other
Leaving to look after family
members(other than children)
Retirement
Redundancy
0 10
11
3
4
6
7
9
10
11
11
19
20
41
37
42
53
20 30 40 50 60
Source: Chartered Institution of Personnel and Development (2005)
Figure 1: Key reasons for employee turnover (%)
security, workplace deviant behaviors and other HR chall-
enges appear to be not critical and are easy to deal with.
Discussions
1. Employees Psychological Security (EPS)
EPS gets wide attention in todays world, which
can be described as the level of safety an employee
feels in his or her workplace. According to Maslows
Need Hierarchy Theory (1987), five basic need levels
were categorized: 1. physiological; 2. safety and
security; 3. belonging, love, and social; 4. esteem;
and 5. self-actualization.
Casino employees work long hours in casinos. In
this situation, he/she stands a big chance to become a
gambler and even problem-gambler. Shaffer and Hall
(2002) indicated in their study that casino employees
represent a unique and highly vulnerable segment of
the population, who have been found to have a much
higher rate of gambling disorders because they have
a greater access and exposure to gambling as com-
pared to the general public. One of the problem-
gamblers matters is psychological problem.
In addition, Garry et al. (2003) further explained
the casino definition as follows: (1) an element of risk
is involved; (2) there is a winner and loser-money,
property or other items of value change hands Lad-
ouceur (2002) characterized gambling as follows: (1)
players wager money or an object of value; (2) this
bet is irreversible once placed; (3) the games outcome
relies on chance. The change hand of big cash and pro-
perty and the chanciness of winning and losing are
violent mental stimulations. On one hand, the stimula-
tions can make people happy and excited, which may
be the original and important purposes that most gam-
blers hanker for. On the other hand, when gamblers
are over excited, those stimulations become dangerous
things.
There have been studies on problem casinos and
problem gamblers psychological issues (such as Gupta
& Derevensky, 2000; Ron & Edwards, 2005; Shaffer,
Vander, & Hall, 1999, etc.). Some of them simultane-
ously pointed out that the psychological pressure does
not only exist among gamblers, but also affect casino
employees via gamblers. The main reason is: in this
service industry, most casino employees have direct
contacts with the customers they serve and the feed-
back they get from their customers includes not only
things like satisfaction level, job performance, etc.
(as often discussed in related studies), but also their
customers feelings and emotions which are complex
and constitute psychological pressure to them. As a
result, some casino-employees psychological symp-
toms are similar to those of problem gamblers.
The matters of EPS, from job perspective, can
lead to job dissatisfaction, poor job performance, and
working frauds. From the individuals perspective, it
can cause employees abuse of tobacco, alcohol, drug
and heroin (Shaffer & Hall, 1996). Other problems
are also very significant in the casino-group, such as
divorce and suicide. The National Opinion Research
Center (1999) noted that gambling appears to be a
significant factor prior to divorce.
2. Employees Workplace Deviant Behavior (WDB)
Actually, DWB is not a rare phenomenon, and
many employees have attested to having such behaviors
(Hsieh et al., 2004). Harper (1990) reported that 33 to
75 per cent of employees have engaged in deviances in
their workplace. The DWB produces organizational
losses estimated to range from $6 to $200 billion ann-
ually (Murphy, 1993). Workplace deviant behavior
(WDB) was defined by Robinson & Bennett (1995)
as voluntary behaviors that violate significant organ-
izational norms and, in doing so, threaten the well-
being of an organization, its members or both. Further
to that, employee deviance is voluntary in that employ-
ees either lack the motivation to conform to normative
expectations of the social context or become motivated
to violate those expectations (Kaplan, 1975). Previous
studies showed that fraud, vandalism, theft, lying,
malicious rumors, withholding effect, aggressive beha-
vior and sexual harassment are most predominant
activities in DWB (Griffin et al., 1998).
Casino WDBs are much grimmer than those in other
industries, which are commonly found as frauds,
cheatings, etc. Nevada Gaming Commission indicated
that during 1999 to 2000, one third of theft or cheating
in casinos were committed by the casinos own staff
members (Derek & Douglas, 2001). Another example,
six swindling casino employees, including a senior
manager, colluded to defraud in a Scotland casino
over 1,000,000 pounds over a four-year period in a
scam centered on baccarat. In this case, it was believed
that the table supervisors skimmed up to 2,000 pounds
a night (Ron & Randy, 2005).
Gary et al. (2003) pointed out that employees
cheatings in casino venues occur in the following
ways: (1) tampering with the instruments of gambling;
(2) play-employee collusion (e.g. signaling the dealers
hole card in blackjack, etc.); and (3) miscellaneous
scams such as altering bets after the fact. Gary et al.
also categorized both directly and indirectly casino-
related crimes as follows: (1) illegal gambling, such
as bookmaking, keeping a common gaming house
and cheating at play; (2) criminogenic problem gamb-
ling, such as forgery, embezzlement and fraud; (3)
gambling venue crimes that occur in and around
gambling locations, such as loan sharking, money
laundering, passing counterfeit currency, theft, etc.;
(4) family abuse victimization of family violence,
child neglect, suicide and home invasion. A casino-
employee as a gambling participant or operator is poss-
ible to be lured or even take the initiative in those
crime activities.
Insiders frauds, cheatings and crimes in casino-
workplace not only harm customers, organizations and
employees themselves but they also derogate public
impression of this industry.
3. Employee Turnover
Employee turnover is a critical issue to many indu-
stries. High turnover and rapid change of employee
faces in an organization can affect employees com-
mitment and incur high costs in recruitment, training,
administration, and morale. The Chartered Institution
of Personnel and Development (2005) concluded the
major reasons for turnover in Figure 1.
Employee turnover was high-lighted as the most
/ 27 / / 26 /
Promotion outside the
organisation
Lack of development or
career opportunities
Change of career
Level of pay
Level of wordload
Leaving to have/look
after children
Lack of support from line
managers
Level of working hours
I will health(other than stress)
Stress of job/role
Relocation
Other
Leaving to look after family
members(other than children)
Retirement
Redundancy
0 10
11
3
4
6
7
9
10
11
11
19
20
41
37
42
53
20 30 40 50 60
Source: Chartered Institution of Personnel and Development (2005)
Figure 1: Key reasons for employee turnover (%)
serious problem in this study than other HR factors
such as recruitment, training, and job performance/
behavior/satisfaction. The tourism and hospitality
industry is facing the high turnover problem. This
problem is even more serious in the casino industry.
Stedham and Mitchell (1996) stated that the casino
industry has the highest rate of employee turnover of
any major industry. Besides the above reasons for
turnover, the respondents in the study also pointed
out that other reasons for high volunteer turnover rate
in casinos are related to the nature of casino work as
mentioned above: psychological pressure and non-safety.
Conclusions and Implications
1. Recruitment and Selection
It is important that casinos must divert more efforts
on recruiting and selecting potential employees. There
are many techniques for human resource managers to
test candidates qualifications, personality, expertise,
and attitude. It is suggested that casino management
should adopt a comprehensive testing tool kit to screen
out candidates. Only those who meet the job require-
ments are able to enter the job brigade.
In the casino practices, it is the job of security man-
agers to identify comparable job experiences (military
training, other casino or private security involvement)
and/or graduates from community college police and
security programs, and other important attributes that
include reliability, trustworthiness, a willingness to
learn, good public relations skills, common sense/
level-headedness, loyalty to company (Gary et al.,
2003). However, it is suggested that those functions
should be taken up by the human resources depart-
ment. It helps streamline the functions and operations.
HR managers of casinos should adopt selection
tools to choose employees with better psychological
quality, for example, personality tests to assess some
important traits such as agreeableness level, the degree
to which someone is trusting, amiable, honest, coo-
perative, and flexible; and emotional stability, the
degree to which someone is secure, calm, indepen-
dent, and autonomous (Gomez-Mejia et al., 2001).
Psychology tests are widely used in selections,
especially in retail chains, banks, and other service
sectors. The tests are available to assess and weed out
applicants who might steal on the job. However, some
experts worry about validity of the test and question
if the test is illegal in certain countries or regions.
Gomez-Mejia et al. (2001) suggested that the ques-
tions and scoring methods should be the same for
applicants, and they should be job related rather than
general inquisitions into employees personal lives.
2. Training
Not only does training help improve employees
job performance and customer satisfaction but it also
helps employees reduce psychological pressure and
workplace deviant behaviors.
Nowadays, many training programs aim to teach
employees how to provide quality service to custom-
ers and to protect employees themselves at the same
time. In the market, there are tool kits that help casino
employees to increase awareness of how to recognize
problem gamblers and how to help them, such as
Operation Bet Smart, which was developed by Harrahs
Entertainment. In this way, casinoemployees can iden-
tify and take effective measures to handle problem
gamblers timely. It not only benefits gamblers and
organizations, but also minimizes psychological and
physical harm to casino employees. Besides the tech-
nical training programs, casino employers should
provide psychotherapy programs to their employees
to help them release psychological pressure.
It is suggested that management should offer more
training programs for their employees because train-
ing can raise the employees job satisfaction, reduce
turnover rate and maintain loyalty. This suggestion is
supported by academics and industrial professionals.
Lam et al. (2001) pointed out that training can improve
employees skills and knowledge so that they will
become more satisfied, loyal and committed to their
employers. Michand (2001) also noted that companies
with the better training methods tend to have a lower
turnover number overall.
3. Other Management Skills
Raising Salary: low-salary is a major reason for
high turnover, job dissatisfaction, poor-performance
/ 29 / / 28 /
and other job frauds. Garry et al. (2003) concluded
that employee theft is common in gambling venues
and has been attributed to the volatile combination of
low-paid workers exposed to the temptation of large
amounts of rapidly circulating legal tender.
Developing Careers: Many organizations view
career development as a good way of preventing job
burnout, improving the quality of employees work
lives, and meeting affirmative action goals (Gomez-
Mejia et al., 2001). Thompson (1988) exposed that
casino employees in Europe typically aspire to careers
in the gambling industry and many stay with the same
company for the duration of their working lives. Con-
sequently, casino employees tend to be loyal and cus-
tomer-service oriented because personal success is
tied to the casinos viability. The two-way allegiance
between casino management and staff reduces the
likelihood of employee theft and cheating scams.
Enhancing Administration: In the U.S.A., the Drugs
& Crime Prevention Committee (Government Printer
for the State of Victoria, 2004) believes that one of
the greatest deterrents to fraud within organizations
is a commitment by upper-level management to the
prevention of fraud, an understanding of how to
achieve the goal of fraud prevention, a set of policies
to this end, and communication with employees both
directly and through modeling of a fraud prevention
ethic.
Limitation
This study had some limitation in that the scale of
sample respondents was small. Further to that, because
of the limitation of time and funding, the interview
samples were only chosen from Mainland China,
Hong Kong and Macau. Most of them are Chinese or
with the background of Chinese culture. They may
not be representative in other regions.
For further studies, the sample size should be
enlarged. Future studies can also extend to cover
other categories of employees other than those on the
front-line.
Conclusions
This study is useful for casino operation and future
development. The results describe current challenges
of HRM in casinos: employees psychological problems,
frauds in workplace and turnover. The research suggests
that casino HRM should pay greater attention to recruit-
ment and selection, which can protect both individu-
als and organizations, and that training could enhance
job satisfaction and reduce performance frauds.
References:
1. Bennett, R. J. & Robinson, S. L. (2000). Devel-
opment of a Measure of Workplace Deviance,
Journal of Applied Psychology, 85, 349-360.
2. Beverley Hancock (1998). An Introduction to
Qualitative Research, Trent Focus Group, retrieved
on July 15, 2006 from http://www.trentfocus.org.
uk/Resources/Qualitative%20Research.pdf.
3. Cathy, A. E. (2001). What Keeps You Up at Night?
Key Issues of Concern for Lodging Managers,
Hotel and Motel Management, 42(2), 38-45.
4. Chartered Institute of Personnel and Develop-
ment (2001). Labour Turnover, retrieved on June
01 from http://www.cipd.co.uk/NR/rdonlyres/
BB9DD3D3-5082-4136-9085-D194E9641B5A/
0/laboursurvey2005.pdf.
5. Derek, B. & Douglas, F. (2001). The Sure Hand
of Surveillance, Security Management, Septem
ber, 87.
6. Garry, S., Harold, W., & Tim, H. (2003). Exami-
ning Police Records to Assess Gambling Impacts:
A Study of Gambling-Related Crime in the City
of Edmonton, The Alberta Gaming Research
Institute.
7. Gomez-Mejia, L. R., Balkin, D. B., & Cardy, R.
L. (2001). Managing Human Resources, 3rd ed.,
Prentice Hall, New Jersey.
8. Government Printer for the State of Victoria
(2004). Inquiry into Fraud and Electronic Com-
merce (Final Report). 55.
9. Griffin, R. W., OLeary-Kelly, A., & Collins, J.
(1998). Dysfunctional Work Behaviors in Organi-
zations, Trends in Organizational Behavior, 5,
65-82.
10. Gupta, R. & Derevensky, L. J. (2000). Adoles-
cents with Gambling Problems from Research to
serious problem in this study than other HR factors
such as recruitment, training, and job performance/
behavior/satisfaction. The tourism and hospitality
industry is facing the high turnover problem. This
problem is even more serious in the casino industry.
Stedham and Mitchell (1996) stated that the casino
industry has the highest rate of employee turnover of
any major industry. Besides the above reasons for
turnover, the respondents in the study also pointed
out that other reasons for high volunteer turnover rate
in casinos are related to the nature of casino work as
mentioned above: psychological pressure and non-safety.
Conclusions and Implications
1. Recruitment and Selection
It is important that casinos must divert more efforts
on recruiting and selecting potential employees. There
are many techniques for human resource managers to
test candidates qualifications, personality, expertise,
and attitude. It is suggested that casino management
should adopt a comprehensive testing tool kit to screen
out candidates. Only those who meet the job require-
ments are able to enter the job brigade.
In the casino practices, it is the job of security man-
agers to identify comparable job experiences (military
training, other casino or private security involvement)
and/or graduates from community college police and
security programs, and other important attributes that
include reliability, trustworthiness, a willingness to
learn, good public relations skills, common sense/
level-headedness, loyalty to company (Gary et al.,
2003). However, it is suggested that those functions
should be taken up by the human resources depart-
ment. It helps streamline the functions and operations.
HR managers of casinos should adopt selection
tools to choose employees with better psychological
quality, for example, personality tests to assess some
important traits such as agreeableness level, the degree
to which someone is trusting, amiable, honest, coo-
perative, and flexible; and emotional stability, the
degree to which someone is secure, calm, indepen-
dent, and autonomous (Gomez-Mejia et al., 2001).
Psychology tests are widely used in selections,
especially in retail chains, banks, and other service
sectors. The tests are available to assess and weed out
applicants who might steal on the job. However, some
experts worry about validity of the test and question
if the test is illegal in certain countries or regions.
Gomez-Mejia et al. (2001) suggested that the ques-
tions and scoring methods should be the same for
applicants, and they should be job related rather than
general inquisitions into employees personal lives.
2. Training
Not only does training help improve employees
job performance and customer satisfaction but it also
helps employees reduce psychological pressure and
workplace deviant behaviors.
Nowadays, many training programs aim to teach
employees how to provide quality service to custom-
ers and to protect employees themselves at the same
time. In the market, there are tool kits that help casino
employees to increase awareness of how to recognize
problem gamblers and how to help them, such as
Operation Bet Smart, which was developed by Harrahs
Entertainment. In this way, casinoemployees can iden-
tify and take effective measures to handle problem
gamblers timely. It not only benefits gamblers and
organizations, but also minimizes psychological and
physical harm to casino employees. Besides the tech-
nical training programs, casino employers should
provide psychotherapy programs to their employees
to help them release psychological pressure.
It is suggested that management should offer more
training programs for their employees because train-
ing can raise the employees job satisfaction, reduce
turnover rate and maintain loyalty. This suggestion is
supported by academics and industrial professionals.
Lam et al. (2001) pointed out that training can improve
employees skills and knowledge so that they will
become more satisfied, loyal and committed to their
employers. Michand (2001) also noted that companies
with the better training methods tend to have a lower
turnover number overall.
3. Other Management Skills
Raising Salary: low-salary is a major reason for
high turnover, job dissatisfaction, poor-performance
/ 29 / / 28 /
and other job frauds. Garry et al. (2003) concluded
that employee theft is common in gambling venues
and has been attributed to the volatile combination of
low-paid workers exposed to the temptation of large
amounts of rapidly circulating legal tender.
Developing Careers: Many organizations view
career development as a good way of preventing job
burnout, improving the quality of employees work
lives, and meeting affirmative action goals (Gomez-
Mejia et al., 2001). Thompson (1988) exposed that
casino employees in Europe typically aspire to careers
in the gambling industry and many stay with the same
company for the duration of their working lives. Con-
sequently, casino employees tend to be loyal and cus-
tomer-service oriented because personal success is
tied to the casinos viability. The two-way allegiance
between casino management and staff reduces the
likelihood of employee theft and cheating scams.
Enhancing Administration: In the U.S.A., the Drugs
& Crime Prevention Committee (Government Printer
for the State of Victoria, 2004) believes that one of
the greatest deterrents to fraud within organizations
is a commitment by upper-level management to the
prevention of fraud, an understanding of how to
achieve the goal of fraud prevention, a set of policies
to this end, and communication with employees both
directly and through modeling of a fraud prevention
ethic.
Limitation
This study had some limitation in that the scale of
sample respondents was small. Further to that, because
of the limitation of time and funding, the interview
samples were only chosen from Mainland China,
Hong Kong and Macau. Most of them are Chinese or
with the background of Chinese culture. They may
not be representative in other regions.
For further studies, the sample size should be
enlarged. Future studies can also extend to cover
other categories of employees other than those on the
front-line.
Conclusions
This study is useful for casino operation and future
development. The results describe current challenges
of HRM in casinos: employees psychological problems,
frauds in workplace and turnover. The research suggests
that casino HRM should pay greater attention to recruit-
ment and selection, which can protect both individu-
als and organizations, and that training could enhance
job satisfaction and reduce performance frauds.
References:
1. Bennett, R. J. & Robinson, S. L. (2000). Devel-
opment of a Measure of Workplace Deviance,
Journal of Applied Psychology, 85, 349-360.
2. Beverley Hancock (1998). An Introduction to
Qualitative Research, Trent Focus Group, retrieved
on July 15, 2006 from http://www.trentfocus.org.
uk/Resources/Qualitative%20Research.pdf.
3. Cathy, A. E. (2001). What Keeps You Up at Night?
Key Issues of Concern for Lodging Managers,
Hotel and Motel Management, 42(2), 38-45.
4. Chartered Institute of Personnel and Develop-
ment (2001). Labour Turnover, retrieved on June
01 from http://www.cipd.co.uk/NR/rdonlyres/
BB9DD3D3-5082-4136-9085-D194E9641B5A/
0/laboursurvey2005.pdf.
5. Derek, B. & Douglas, F. (2001). The Sure Hand
of Surveillance, Security Management, Septem
ber, 87.
6. Garry, S., Harold, W., & Tim, H. (2003). Exami-
ning Police Records to Assess Gambling Impacts:
A Study of Gambling-Related Crime in the City
of Edmonton, The Alberta Gaming Research
Institute.
7. Gomez-Mejia, L. R., Balkin, D. B., & Cardy, R.
L. (2001). Managing Human Resources, 3rd ed.,
Prentice Hall, New Jersey.
8. Government Printer for the State of Victoria
(2004). Inquiry into Fraud and Electronic Com-
merce (Final Report). 55.
9. Griffin, R. W., OLeary-Kelly, A., & Collins, J.
(1998). Dysfunctional Work Behaviors in Organi-
zations, Trends in Organizational Behavior, 5,
65-82.
10. Gupta, R. & Derevensky, L. J. (2000). Adoles-
cents with Gambling Problems from Research to
/ 31 / / 30 /
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