Arkansas Casino Seeks Employees, Offers $1K Hiring Bonuses

Posted on: August 11, 2021, 02:42h. 

Last updated on: August 11, 2021, 02:54h.

Larry Henry Read More
Expertise: Commercial Gaming, Gaming Business, Legislation, Politics, Regulation.

Southland Casino Racing in West Memphis, Ark., is in a hiring mode, providing $1,000 bonuses and immediate job offers for some positions.  

Southland Casino Racing
A handler walks with a greyhound at Southland Casino Racing in West Memphis, Ark. The resort is hiring workers for the casino and dog track. (Image: Commercial Appeal)

The resort has scheduled job-applicant interviews every Thursday from Aug. 12-Sept 2. Southland is located across the Mississippi River from the larger Memphis, Tenn., metropolitan area. Interviews are being conducted from 11-3 pm in the Kennel Club on the racing mezzanine.

Among other positions, the resort is seeking cooks, dealers, hosts, cage cashiers, and slot tech supervisors. Certain jobs are eligible for a $1,000 bonus. In some instances, applicants will be hired during the in-person interview. Southland encourages applicants to apply online before showing up to meet with hiring supervisors.

As it seeks hire more employees, Southland is undergoing a $250 million expansion, adding a 20-story, 300-room hotel to the site. The expansion, which will include a new gaming complex, is expected to be completed in 2022.

The greyhound track at Southland is scheduled to cease operations at the end of 2022, leaving Iowa and West Virginia as the only states with legal dog racing. If the dog track in Iowa also closes next year, as expected, West Virginia will be the only state with legal dog racing.

Memphis Bridge Reopens

Southland is coming off a period of declining monthly net gaming wins. In May, the casino won $20.5 million. One month later, it won $16.9 million.

This lower win total is thought to have resulted from a bridge closure that hampered traffic flow into West Memphis from Memphis, Tenn. 

A fracture in a primary support beam on the Interstate 40 bridge caused the six-lane span over the Mississippi River to close in May for repairs. This structure is busiest freight-carry bridge in the US.

The bridge was reopened on July 31 to eastbound traffic. On Aug. 2, the westbound lanes into West Memphis were reopened. Tennessee does not have casinos, making Memphis an important market for Southland. 

Casinos Hiring Nationwide

Around the country, casinos are looking to hire more workers. Despite the pandemic, the industry is on pace to have its most lucrative year ever in 2021.

In South Dakota, Cadillac Jack’s Gaming Resort recently posted an Instagram message stating it would offer $14 an hour and a $1,000 signing bonus to those hired as valet parking attendants.

In Las Vegas, MGM Resorts International earlier this month announced its is seeking employees for 3,000 job openings at casinos in Southern Nevada.

Brandon Perry, director of MGM Resort’s human resources initiatives, said  the company needs employees for a wide array of casino jobs.

He said finding workers has been challenging, in part because some potential employees “are hesitant to come back and be around large groups of people” during the coronavirus pandemic.

Of Nevada’s, 6,080 COVID-19 deaths, 4,860 have been in Southern Nevada, according to the City of Las Vegas Twitter page.