Gambling operators are increasingly recruiting staff from outside the industry and are turning to managers from the hospitality and retail sector as they expand their entertainment offer.

The ‘2009 Labour Market Review of the Gambling Industry’ from People 1st, the sector skills council for the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism industries, found that frontline staff were increasingly expected to host, entertain and educate their customers on how to play games, as gambling operators move towards a stronger customer-centric ethos.

Gambling operators are expanding their leisure entertainment offer to include food, a greater choice of games and even valet parking in the case of some casinos to provide the ultimate experience.

Martin Christian Kent, director of policy and research at People 1st, explains: “The gambling industry recognises the need to expand its customer base and the importance customer service plays in this.

“The real focus now is on hospitality, sales and customer service, and staff need to engage with customers in a way that contributes to an increase in spend levels. Yet our report clearly highlights that generally these skills are lacking.”

Other key findings from the report include:

· The labour turnover rate for the gambling industry stands at 22% — one of the lowest within the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism (HLTT) sector

· Gambling staff are well qualified in comparison to other HLTT sectors — more than a third are qualified to NVQ level 3 and above (equivalent to two or more A level), with a further quarter (24%) qualified to level 2 (equivalent to five GCSEs).