BY RACHEL MELCER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Packed with customers, providing thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in tax revenue, southeastern Indiana's casinos are pictures of prosperity.
Signs of their success - and of a growing problem - are popping up on placards, in newspapers and radio advertisements. Their message:
Help wanted.
With the Monday opening of Caesars Indiana's Glory of Rome in Bridgeport, just across the river from Louisville, the casinos will have culled more than 5,600 employees from the surrounding small towns and farmland.
Although some workers commute from Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky and Louisville, gaming experts say that when it comes to finding long-term, qualified employees, the riverboats may be playing against the odds.
"When you put a boat that's going to employ 2,000 people in a largely rural area, there are going to be some issues," said Jennifer Simmons, executive director of the Indiana Gaming Association. "To date, I don't believe it's anything detrimental to the operations of the boats. . . . But it is something we're going to have to watch."
Officials at Argosy Casino Lawrenceburg and Grand Victoria Casino and Resort in Rising Sun say they had no trouble filling jobs when they opened in 1996. But as they added on hotels and restaurants, and as Caesars Indiana began to hire staff, good help has become harder to find.
When the final Ohio River casino, Hollywood Park-Boomtown, opens in mid-2000 in Switzerland County, the trouble is likely to increase.
"The competition is fierce between us all," said Grand Victoria general manager John Spina. "The Switzerland County boat will create a more competitive hiring environment. It's going to be difficult for for us to get fully staffed because we're going to be going after the same people."
Argosy has invested in costly radio and print advertising, and Mr. Spina said Grand Victoria may take its case to the airwaves as well. Both companies have held job fairs, recruited at the college level and hired managers from across the country.
"I think there will continue to be pressure to find ways to attract and retain employees," said Argosy general manager Arnold Block. "Any time we have turnover, we're looking for ways to reduce it and make people happier with their jobs and more interested in staying." All of this is good news for job-seekers. They can demand better pay and benefits, shop among the casinos and jump ship any time a better position comes along.
Casinos at odds
When Caesars Indiana began hiring this summer, officials notified Argosy and Grand Victoria as they lured workers away from their ranks.
"We let them know that we had made those (job) offers. . . . So if they had to hire and train more people, they would have a head start," said Sherry LeClair, vice president of human resources. "We've had a very comfortable working relationship with our competitors on the Ohio River."
But that camaraderie may end as it becomes more difficult for each casino to fulfill its staffing needs.
Argosy, which is closest to Cincinnati, draws about half of its 2,100-member staff from Ohio and Northern Kentucky. The ability to turn to the more-populous area is a plus, according to Mr. Block. Many of Grand Victoria's nearly 1,600 workers come from Indiana - including Switzerland County, which will soon have a 1,400-employee riverboat of its own.
And the companies are still expanding. Grand Victoria will unveil an 18-hole golf course in the summer. Caesars, which will open with 2,000 employees, plans to add another 400 when its restaurants and hotel debut late next year.
All of the riverboats are trying to meet a goal set by the Indiana Gaming Commission, which licenses the casinos and wants them to hire from within home and neighboring counties.
"We're not going to take any action against them . . . (because) they are doing everything possible to tap the local market before moving to outside markets," said Jennifer Byrd, the commission's director of external affairs. "The labor market just isn't enough to support them."
It's not Las Vegas
The casinos are working to retain employees. They want to avoid expensive training and licensing procedures for new casino staff; and have a hard time finding housekeeping, food service and maintenance workers.
Not only are they fighting against one another, but the riverboats must deal with novice workers' sometimes unrealistic expectations. "People think it's going to be fun to work in a casino, but it turns out to be a job. Especially with the gaming schedules, a lot of people need to work split shifts or be available almost 24 hours. They are finding that it's hard work, and not even that convenient," said Laura Littlepage, research director for the Indiana Gambling Impact Study Commission.
"It's a matter of expectations versus reality. That could lead to high turnover," she said.
Argosy, for one, does its best to educate people before they are hired and trained. They are warned that the casino's busiest times are nights, weekends and holidays.
"Turnover is always higher than what you would like. We have been well within the industry standard," Mr. Block said. "But we are not in Las Vegas. We don't have the luxury of a lot of experienced, industry-trained people available."
Some officials expect that to change. The riverboats are training their own workers as quickly as they can hire them. And the region may develop into its own gaming destination.
"I think as the gaming industry matures in the state of Indiana, and as people become more educated in the career opportunities and the economic development that has been created, I think you'll start to see people move into the areas where the boats are located," Grand Victoria's Mr. Spina said. "The economic benefits will attract people."
