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casino gigs?


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Anybody else playing casinos?

 

One project I'm working with plays a casino regularly. The casino treats the entertainment agency as a vendor. As an employee of the agency I have to have a vendor gaming license for the casino.

 

How do things work in your neck of the woods?

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Don't have to get a license, but you are considered a vendor. Have to go by security and turn your drivers license in for a vendor badge. No drinking or gambling. Also, they do criminal background checks. You have to supply your places of residence going back 10 years. One of the local bands has to get a sub for their bass player every time they play a casino because he had a DUI conviction.

Dan

 

Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth.

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Is this something new Eric? We knew nothing of this when we played the Kewadin Casino in St. Ignace a couple of times about 8 years ago. Maybe our booking agent we had at the time took care of it. Either way it was a great gig!

Lydian mode? The only mode I know has the words "pie ala" in front of it.

http://www.myspace.com/theeldoradosband

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Wow, nothing like that in Washington that I know of, I'm guessing it's a state law thing. Most of my good paying gigs are in the tribal casinos here. Many of them do have security procedures where the musicians either surrender their IDs or at least check in to get a visitors badge. Some don't have any security check and anyone can show up and play. All of them have strict policies regarding behavior/dress/vulgarity/alcohol/gambling etc. Which is fine by me...it's just a job to us, we aren't there to party. Plenty of other bar gigs where we CAN let loose so no biggie. They are usually great gigs, the only real downside being the smoke.

 

But geez, I've never heard of entertainers having to get any kind of license or background check. Some places I book through an agent, others I do directly with the casino, so I'd know.

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The only experience I had was working some Gambling Cruise ships that traveled out of a TSA port into International waters - day cruises, mostly.

 

They (TSA) did background checks before you could be approved for work.

Jim

Confirmed RoscoeHead

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The thing everyone should know going into casino gigs is that the band is NEVER the main attraction in a casino, the gambling is. Consequently, they are very particular about volume. And, believe it or not, unless you are a major national act working one of the main rooms, they don't want bands so good that people will be drawn away from the gambling. You can't be awful, they don't want that, but you can't be very good, either. Mediocrity is actually what they are looking for in the small rooms.

 

I think it's interesting that casino management isn't shy about putting even major acts in their place when they feel the need. They are very strict about stage time. If they tell an act 20 minutes, they don't mean give or take. They want 'em on and off to the minute, so those folks can get up and go back out to the tables and slots. That's what makes the money.

Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else.

 

 

 

 

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I don't think this is always true. I have played in several casinos where I would agree that this is the case. But I've also played in some where the Musical entertainment is used to attract new people to the casino. Still true that the ultimate goal is gambling revenue, but in those cases, the band is the main attraction - a means to an end. I would agree, even in those cases, times are very strict - they often plan promotions, etc., around break times, etc. to draw the band crowd into the casino. In terms of volume, I've never played a casino where house sound was not provided. So really, it's up to them to control the volume.

 

Incidentally, this is no different than any bar. Bars don't hire bands because they want to promote the music, they hire bands because they want to sell alcohol. Alcohol, gambling, same thing - you're there to get butts in the door making them money.

Dan

 

Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth.

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Yep. Live music in a bar is very often little more than background music for boy-meets-girl(and/or whatever relationship permutation the crowd is into) in a sea of alcohol. It's only yahoos like us that are into it for the music itself.

Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else.

 

 

 

 

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  • 7 years later...
My brother used to play in casinos a lot and he liked it because it paid well. He was in trouble when casinos started closing down during these crazy virus times. He was left out of job and it was scary for all of us when it started, but in our place it is starting to get back to normal. He is starting to play again and that is really good for him. Any connection I have to a casino is that I play sometimes online on websites like casino-korea.com and it is a lot of fun actually. They were never closed, but you can't play music there, lol.
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