Deal them in: UNT hospitality adds casino management class
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In Harold Lee's Wednesday afternoon class, the students play blackjack. Some Wednesdays, the students play poker, roulette or craps.
It's all part of Lee's casino management introduction class, offered in the University of North Texas College of Merchandising, Hospitality & Tourism.
Students had their first chance to study casino management on the Denton campus this semester, and Lee means to give them a taste of what it takes to give customers top-notch service when it's time to roll the dice or slap a stack of chips on the roulette table.
Lee earned a bachelor's degree in hotel administration at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas in 2005, followed by his master's in 2012. He got his doctorate in hospitality administration from Texas Tech University in 2016. UNT is his first stint as a college professor.
While Lee was studying in Nevada, he worked for the Bellagio, MGM Grand and Wynn Las Vegas. In the casinos, Lee did everything from clerk work — gathering data from the customers in the "pit," where gaming tables are often organized in a circle under the eagle eye of a pit boss — to marketing and coordinating concierge gaming experiences for high-rolling Korean-speaking gamblers.
Lee said his class is a sort of survey of the basics of casino management and hospitality. Casinos serve a full spectrum of customers, from weekend gamers who keep to a budget to luxury patrons who come ready to spend on lavish dining rooms and high-stakes games.
"There are many differences in casinos and other hospitality settings," Lee said. "The operation hours are wholly different. It's 24/7. Hotels obviously are open 24/7, that's true. But in the casino — the scene is so much busier around the clock."
Casinos — especially on Indian reservations in the American Southwest — offer everything from the gaming at the centerpiece to fine and casual dining, hotel services and entertainment. Students interested in the industry might need to be able to manage all of those hospitality options.
Lee said people often travel to casino resorts because they offer so many different services and activities.
"People actually come to casinos because they say, 'I want to try this fancy restaurant,'" he said. "Or the other piece can be the convention and meetings. So many companies are trying to hold meetings and conferences at casino resorts."
Lee said the class teaches students about the history of gaming, regional developments in the industry, how casinos are operated, the principal games, marketing and law.
Because the course involves gaming and at least one trip to a nearby casino resort, students have to be 18 or older to take the class. Lee notes that UNT students have job opportunities near Dallas-Fort Worth.
"Texas doesn't have gaming to the extent as neighboring states," Lee said. Texans can play the state lottery, and they can bet on horse and greyhound racing. Texas gaming enthusiasts can also try their luck at bingo and raffles. Eagle Pass is home to a Kickapoo nation casino, and El Paso and Livingston are also home to Indian casinos.
Lee said he teaches the primary games so that students learn their history and how games like craps, blackjack and roulette work. Guest speakers focus on regulations, events and marketing.
The professor said it took some time to develop a course that would give students an introduction to and a footing in gaming. The course also touches on the dark side of gaming, broaching an insider's view of gambling addiction.
"A lot of people might not know that in the resort casinos, there are help centers that can refer customers to counseling and assistance if they develop problems with gambling," Lee said. "In the hospitality program, we have to teach the good scenarios and the bad ones."
"I'd definitely like to develop some more classes in the future, but that will take some time," he said. "But it's definitely something I'd like to do."
