Casino Gambling Growing as Ireland Crawls out of Crisis

Rebound in casino employment shows consumers have money to stake, economy is recovering.

Ireland was one of the countries hit hardest by the still-resonating Eurozone crisis. The job and housing markets were savaged by a crushing private debt burden. As consumer spending declined, casino gambling, especially in Irish poker rooms, took a major hit as well.

But ditch the gloom and doom and put on a smile. Recent indicators out of the Emerald Isle show that land-based casino gambling is back on the up-and-up. The Isle of Man-based interactive game operator View Casino recently brought business to the island by placing its live dealer games in the Fitzwilliam Casino in Dublin.

As economy rebounds, so does casino employment

A good indicator for ordinary folks is the fact that Irish casinos are hiring staff again. The Atlantic Casino Consultants company recently posted advertisements for dealing jobs as well as pit bosses, casino managers, and slot technicians on an internet job board.

The casino industry is important to a small economy like Ireland because it employs service-sector people without high levels of education. While casinos generally prefer to hire experienced casino staff (especially as the job market is still highly competitive) most jobs require only a high school level of education.

If asked, most Irish would respond that the economic situation on the island is still fairly dire. Despite that and competition from online casinos in Ireland, the casino industry appears ready to grow again. Given the nature of the industry, this can only mean that things are improving.