Gaming cage workers, more commonly called cage cashiers, work in casinos and other gaming establishments. The "cage" where these workers can be found is the central depository for money, gaming chips, and paperwork necessary to support casino play.
Cage workers carry out a wide range of financial transactions and handle any paperwork that may be required. They perform credit checks and verify credit references for people who want to open a house credit account. They cash checks according to rules established by the casino. Cage workers sell gambling chips, tokens, or tickets to patrons or to other workers for resale to patrons and exchange chips and tokens for cash. They may use cash registers, adding machines, or computers to calculate and record transactions. At the end of their shift, cage cashiers must balance the books.
Because gaming establishments are closely scrutinized, cage workers must follow a number of rules and regulations related to their handling of money. For example, they monitor large cash transactions and report these transactions to the Internal Revenue Service to help enforce tax regulations and prevent money laundering. Also, in determining when to extend credit or cash a check, cage workers must follow detailed procedures.
Work environment. The atmosphere in casinos is often considered glamorous. However, casino work can also be physically demanding. This occupation requires workers to stand for long periods with constant reaching and grabbing. Sometimes cage workers may be expected to lift and carry relatively heavy items. The casino atmosphere exposes workers to certain hazards, such as cigarette, cigar, and pipe smoke. Noise from slot machines, gaming tables, and talking workers and patrons may be distracting to some, although workers wear protective headgear in areas where loud machinery is used to count money.
Most casinos are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and offer 3 staggered shifts. Casinos typically require cage workers to work on nights, weekends, and holidays.
| 1. | Follow all gaming regulations. |
| 2. | Maintain confidentiality of customers' transactions. |
| 3. | Count funds and reconcile daily summaries of transactions to balance books. |
| 4. | Convert gaming checks, coupons, tokens, and coins to currency for gaming patrons. |
| 5. | Maintain cage security. |
| 6. | Determine cash requirements for windows, and order all necessary currency, coins, and chips. |
| 7. | Verify accuracy of reports such as authorization forms, transaction reconciliations, and exchange summary reports. |
| 8. | Cash checks and process credit card advances for patrons. |
| 9. | Sell gambling chips, tokens, or tickets to patrons or to other workers for resale to patrons. |
| 10. | Perform removal and rotation of cash, coin, and chip inventories as necessary. |
| 11. | Supply currency, coins, chips, and gaming checks to other departments as needed. |
| 12. | Provide assistance in the training and orientation of new cashiers. |
| 13. | Provide customers with information about casino operations. |
| 14. | Record casino exchange transactions, using cash registers. |
| 15. | Prepare bank deposits, balancing assigned funds as necessary. |
| 16. | Prepare reports, including assignment of company funds and recording of department revenues. |
| 17. | Establish new computer accounts. |
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