The original 2013 report
Original reporting follows. Offers, event dates, product details and opinions are historical. Old outbound links are shown as text.
The Southwestern Community College (SCC) Swain Center offers a blackjack dealing course that is attracting students from all ages and walks of life. According to SCC’s Occupational Training Director Scott Sutton, the trained blackjack dealers will then be hired by Harrah’s and not only be refunded their $180 tuition fee, but will also be rewarded with a bonus of $1000. The course lasts 7 weeks.
SCC has been offering table games courses from last fall, and another course taught by the staff at Harrah’s Casino is scheduled to begin on Oct 7. Sutton said that there are plenty of opportunities for people who are looking out for them, adding that students will get the best possible training from casino instructors.
Harrah’s plans to appoint 150 trained blackjack dealers in Cherokee and 800 more in the new casino it plans to launch in Murphy in 2015. Vacancies are also available in Harrah’s food and beverages department; and according to Sharon Owle, recruiter for Harrah’s food and beverages department, said that they are looking for 28 trained workers.
Doris Johnson, who is a casino employment manager, said that Harrah’s can recruit as many as 200 people right away.
Those interested in taking a blackjack course can contact SCC at 828-339-4426.
Read a little deeper
Training, auditions and employment are different steps
Dealer-training reports show how casinos and colleges prepared people for table-game work. Keep the course, audition and employment offer distinct. Tuition figures, timetables and recruitment targets belong to the original story and do not describe a course or vacancy currently open for applications.
- Training
- Identify the games, course length and fees actually reported.
- Selection
- Look for auditions or other steps between training and hiring.
- Employment
- Distinguish an individual outcome from an employer’s recruitment plans.
Does completing a course always guarantee a casino job?
The report must say what was offered. Training, auditions and hiring are separate steps; do not turn a historical recruitment target into a general employment promise.
More from this era
Archive presentation refreshed 26 October 2026. The original report and publication date are retained; this is not a new offer, event listing or product review.