Rush Street Gaming, the parent company of Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, will set its minimum wage at $15 per hour for non-tipped employees.
The change immediately bumps up pay for more than 100 Rivers Des Plaines team members. In total, the casino employs 1,350 people.
Greg Carlin, the CEO of Rivers Casino and Rush Street Gaming, said:
“We believe that paying a living wage is more than a recruitment strategy — it’s the right thing to do. Our team members are committed to our success each and every day. This is just another way we return that commitment.”
Non-tipped employees already make more than $15 per hour. According to Rivers, full-time dealers take home an average of $55,000 in their first year.
Corey Wise, the senior vice president and general manager of Rivers Casino Des Plaines, said:
“We’re proud to be an employer of choice in casino gaming. We offer job candidates family-sustaining wages, great benefits and a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace culture.”
Rush Street also offers a benefits package including health insurance, immediate 401(k) vesting and tuition reimbursement.
Rivers Casino plans expansion
In February, Rivers Casino announced plans for an $87 million expansion.
The proposed renovations include a poker room, 725 new gaming positions, a restaurant and a 10,000-square-foot ballroom.
In total, it would be a 78,000-square-foot expansion.
Rivers submitted its expansion proposal to the Illinois Gaming Board (IGB) a few months ago for approval. Now, the ball is in the IGB’s court.
Here’s what Wise said then about the possible expansion:
“Rivers is Illinois’ most popular casino destination, and with this expansion, we are continuing to focus on our guests to earn their loyalty. We were the first casino to become land-based to expand our gaming floor. BetRivers was the state’s first sportsbook to open and we provided fans with the state’s first mobile sports betting option. When complete, we will be the first casino in Illinois to offer our guests 2,000 gaming positions.”
If approved, Rivers will likely be able to offer even more attractive jobs to prospective employees.
Which Illinois casinos are hiring?
The majority of Illinois casinos are hiring as the state prepares to open at full capacity in Phase 5.
Rivers Casino is offering walk-in interviews from 12-2 p.m. every Wednesday. The interviews will take place at the Human Resources building.
Here’s a complete list of the Illinois casinos that are hiring and links to their job postings:
- Argosy Casino Alton ($500 sign-on bonus for table games dealer)
- DraftKings at Casino Queen ($300 sign-on bonus for various positions)
- Grand Victoria Casino Elgin (Certain positions come with a $2,000 sign-on bonus)
- Jumer’s Casino & Hotel
- Hollywood Casino Aurora ($3,000 sign-on bonus for experienced poker dealer)
- Hollywood Casino Joliet (Hiring incentives worth up to $4,000 in increments)
- Par-A-Dice Casino
- Rivers Casino
What’s the latest with Illinois casinos?
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced last week that the state would move into Phase 5 on Friday, June 11. Phase 5 lifts all capacity restrictions and is considered a full reopening.
That means the 10 casinos in Illinois would be able to reopen at full capacity, with no restrictions on slots and table games. Right now, casinos are operating at 60% capacity.
This would be the first time since March 2020 that Illinois casinos could fill their facilities at 100% capacity. For most of the pandemic, they’ve either been closed entirely or only open at 25% or 50%.
Located in Des Plaines, which is less than a half-an-hour drive from Chicago, Rivers is the most popular casino in Illinois. It figures to see plenty of foot traffic as society returns back to normal.
