WCCC seeks students to become dealers for soon-to-be Hempfield casino

Blackjack games, roulette wheels and a craps table soon will fill an empty space inside Westmoreland Mall, though not as part of the casino being built in the former Bon-Ton store.

Instead, the first-floor space vacated by Barbara Ann’s Country Home Furnishings, which moved upstairs, will become a mock casino where students will study the games in hopes of landing a job at the casino.

The dealer school, which will be taught by adjunct professors at Westmoreland County Community College, will begin Aug. 17. Of the 120 students admitted, between 60 and 70 are expected to receive a job at the 100,000-square-foot Live! Casino Pittsburgh. An additional 50 to 60 dealers with previous experience also will be recruited.

The $150 million casino, owned by The Cordish Companies in Maryland, is expected to open before Thanksgiving with 750 slot machines and 30 table games. More than 500 people are planned to be hired, including food and beverage staff, security and management.

“We’re a community college, so as part of our mission we’re here to fill the needs of the community and this is a perfect fit for us,” said WCCC President Tuesday Stanley. “When the state and the county welcomed Live! in, we were happy to say we’re a part of workforce solution. It fits perfectly with our mission and we’re happy to be a part of it.”

The class curriculum, which is a first for the college, has to be approved by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, who will also perform an on-site visit.

Information sessions for interested students are scheduled for Friday at WCCC’s Youngwood campus, July 27 at the New Kensington campus and Aug. 4 at the Latrobe campus. About 130 people have registered for the sessions.

Students who are accepted into the program will begin by learning about blackjack as well as so-called carnival games, which include Texas Hold ’em, Let it Ride, and Criss Cross poker. That course will last five weeks.

After that, students can pursue three tracks — craps, which is an additional six weeks; roulette, which is an additional five weeks; or an additional two weeks of carnival game training, said David Pistner, WCCC vice president of continuing education, workforce and community development.

“We want you to be diverse,” said Sean Sullivan, vice president and general manager of Live! Casino Pittsburgh. “We want you to know more than just one game. The dealers today that are going to work all the hours they want and be eligible to work at any property are the ones that know the most games.”

As of now, courses are slated to be in-person with social distancing measures in place along with the use of hand sanitizer and masks. If classes must move online, students will have access to cards, chips and a layout, along with Zoom sessions with their instructors.

Courses will end Oct. 30. Graduates will come out with a certificate that can be used at any Pennsylvania casino and is valid for five years. Additional courses will be offered as needed after the casino opens. Those interested in applying at the Hempfield casino following the course will have to apply and audition.

“Dealers are like the backbone of a casino,” Sullivan said. “They’re critically important because they’re face-to-face with your guests. Slot machines are kind of inanimate, food and beverage you get to see a server, but at a table you’re face-to-face with a person for hours at a time.

“Being a dealer is all about personality. Yes, you have the requirements to deal correctly, but you have to have an outgoing personality, and the great dealers manage that really well.”

The initial blackjack class costs $110. Additional classes cost $75, plus a $50 CPR training. Dealers are expected to make $5.50 per hour, plus tips that can range between $15 and $25 per hour.

“These are entrepreneurial jobs,” Sullivan said. “The way you make an increased family-sustaining compensation is you’re an entertainer. You’re making the people at your table not want to get up and leave even through some bad swings. … So it’s a really critical part in a casino.”