Pennsylvania casinos saw an increase in employment over the past year, with men accounting for the majority of the new hires. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) released its 17th Annual Diversity Report on Monday, highlighting the staffing changes within the state’s gaming industry during the 2023/24 fiscal year. Despite the addition of new jobs, the diversity of the workforce showed little change.
According to the PGCB, as of June 30, the state’s 17 brick-and-mortar casinos collectively employed 15,857 people, a 2.5% increase from the previous year, reflecting an addition of 396 jobs. Mozelle Daniels, the PGCB’s director of diversity, emphasized the casinos’ competitive compensation packages and growth opportunities aimed at attracting exceptional talent amid intensified competition for such talent.
The state gaming regulator oversees casino gambling, sports betting, iGaming, video lottery terminals, and fantasy sports, with revenues reaching a record $5.89 billion during the 2023/24 fiscal year, marking a 6.8% increase from the previous fiscal year. Pennsylvania remains the third-richest gaming state in the nation, trailing only Nevada and New Jersey.
The Diversity Report disclosed that minority hiring remained stagnant, with the Caucasian demographic maintaining a dominant 59% share of the total workforce, unchanged from the previous year. African Americans held 16% of the jobs, Asians made up 12%, and the “Other” category remained at 5%. Hispanics were the only minority group to see an increase, rising by 1% to hold 9% of the positions.
In terms of gender, male employment surged by 367 positions, reaching a total of 9,246 jobs, while female employment saw a modest increase of 24 positions, totaling 6,591 jobs. An additional 20 casino workers did not identify as either male or female. Consequently, men now account for 58.3% of Pennsylvania’s casino workforce, up from 57.4% during the previous fiscal year.
Executive and managerial roles in the casinos were overwhelmingly dominated by men, who occupied 63% of these positions. Only one in four managerial roles were held by minorities.
Some Pennsylvania casinos, notably those in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, reported higher rates of minority inclusion. Rivers Casino Pittsburgh noted that 24% of its employees are Black, surpassing the statewide average by 8%. Rivers Casino Philadelphia reported that 35% of its workforce is Black, while Live! Casino Philadelphia indicated that three out of ten of its employees are African American.
Valley Forge Casino Resort in the Philadelphia suburbs reported strong minority representation, with 31% of its staff identifying as Black. Harrah’s Philadelphia stood out, with Black employees representing 40% of its workforce, slightly outnumbering their Caucasian counterparts, who comprised 39%.
Conversely, casinos in rural areas exhibited predominantly white workforces. At Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in Dauphin County, roughly 20 minutes from the Harrisburg capital, nearly 80% of workers were Caucasian. A similarly white-dominated staff was reported at Mohegan Pennsylvania in the Pocono Mountains.
