It’s a sure bet that Pennsylvania and Atlantic City Casinos are being hit with the same labor shortages experienced in other industries, writes Katie Kohler for playpennsylvania.com.

In fact, casino hotels saw the largest decrease in employment among private industries, more than 3.5-times the next largest job loss industry.

In 2020/21, Delaware County’s only casino, Harrah’s Philadelphia in Chester, had 236 casino worker positions available, 202 were filled, leaving the casino short by 34 positions.

“The pandemic hurt everyone. Mentally, the perspective around work has changed,” said American Gaming Association CEO Bill Miller.

“Getting people to feel comfortable at a workplace that is face-to-face is going to take time and it’s one of the largest challenges that all of us in the hospitality industry face,” Miller said.

The hardest casino worker jobs to fill are also the most important– slot attendants, slot supervisors, dealers, hotel front desk, and housekeeping.

The shortages mean casino employees are overworked. They’re also seeing COVID-19 cases within their ranks and are frustrated that safety precautions like mask requirements, vaccine mandates and smoking bans aren’t enforced at all casinos.

Ironically, commercial gaming revenue hit a record high of $53 billion, thanks to legalized sports betting, online casinos, and expanded retail casinos.

Read more at playpennsylvania.com about casino labor shortages.