Casino employees working harder for meager tips
By Ray Hagar, Reno Gazette-Journal
Minimum wage earners working in Northern Nevada’s gaming industry rely heavily on tips for income.
And they’d like to see more people called George come in to gamble, drink and eat in the casinos of Reno, Sparks and Lake Tahoe.
That’s because George is the nickname casino workers have traditionally bestowed on big tippers.
Yet there are fewer Georges in a region that continues to struggle with the recession, Nevada’s No. 1 ranking in national unemployment and the glut of tribal gaming in Reno’s top Northern California feeder markets.