Exploring Professionalism in the Gaming Industry: Perspectives from Macao Casino Employees

With the diverse concepts of professionalism in the changing society, many professions are striving to attain professionalism to meet the patron demands. In Macao’s gaming industry, the structural changes, such as the strategic emphasis on non-gaming development, have intensified competition for patrons, particularly amid the growing casino development across Asia. Although professional service can be one solution to enhance the gaming industry, there has been scant research on professionalism in the gaming industry. This study investigates the perspectives of casino employees at different hierarchical levels in Macao and proposes a theoretical framework describing four conceptual components of professionalism, including work initiative, technical competence, service integration, and contextual awareness, thereby helping them develop into professionals. Given the under-researched nature of professionalism, this study adopts a constructivist grounded theory approach to collect data from qualitative interviews with casino employees. Despite the preponderant economic importance of the industry, some employees have left the industry due to their job stress and exhaustion. This study proposes developing career paths, implementing interventions to address their work-related stress and exhaustion, organizing group activities, and establishing a professional accreditation mechanism to enhance industry professionalism.