The lived experience of frontline casino workers

Career-related emotional contagion has been investigated in many sectors, including healthcare and journalism. However, the gambling sector remains unexplored, despite frontline casino employees’ frequent exposure to the fluctuating emotions of gamblers, especially those who experience gambling problems. This study fills the research gap by investigating the impact of long-term exposure to gambling on frontline casino employees. The data were collected from 46 interviewees. Analysis revealed three themes: dealers’ emotional responses, ‘dirty work’, and the impact on dealers’ private lives. In the first theme, the interviewees’ responses indicated that exposure to gambling led to various emotional outcomes, including indifference, sympathy, perplexity, and worry. The second theme, ‘dirty work’, covers observations concerning organizational malpractice and negative social impacts. The various ‘impacts on dealer’s private lives’ identified in the data ranged from negative to positive. This study reveals the complexity of workplace emotional contagion and the emotional costs for frontline casino employees. The implication for gambling companies is that emotional support with–and training in–emotion management are necessary to maintain and retain a healthy workforce.