Good gaming employees hard to come by

As the number of Las Vegas hotel rooms increases amid sluggish visitor-count growth, gaming companies face a number of challenges. No. 1 is finding and keeping qualified employees.

That's according to Peter Boynton, chief executive of Caesar's World Inc., who spoke at the first annual Casino Ops conference Tuesday.

"We're going to see a huge test in the next few years," Boynton said. "It will be a seller's labor market."

The pending opening of mega-resorts Bellagio, the Venetian, Paris, Mandalay Bay and the Aladdin will not only add 20,000 rooms to the Las Vegas market, Boynton said: they will also add 32,000 jobs.

"Frankly, I don't know where the talent will come from to fill those," he said.

To fill the new positions, executives will have to look outside the gaming industry, Boynton said.

"We as an industry have had a reluctance to bring in outside people," he said.

New blood is necessary not only to fill the jobs but to infuse new ideas into the industry, Boynton said.

"We need to bring in fresh talent with fresh view points," he said.

Some of those new view points will of necessity involve looking at the workplace in new ways, Boynton said. Gaming companies must become more flexible -- in working hours, working environment and workplace rules -- to attract and retain the talent they need.

"Why do we need to be so traditional in our outlook toward our workforce?" Boynton rhetorically asked.

Flexibility means accommodating unusual schedules, providing child care, allowing certain employees to work from home, and "anything that affects the day-to-day experience," Boynton said.

Boynton's call for flexibility is reminiscent of the moves many technology companies have made in recent years as they have found themselves facing critical worker shortages in a time of rapid growth and cut-throat competition. Most large technology companies today advertise amenities such as a casual workplace and flexible hours in addition to pay scales in attempting to attract talent.

The reason for flexibility is simple, Boynton said: flexibility generates higher employee satisfaction, which helps companies retain people, leads to higher customer satisfaction, and therefore higher profits, he said.

The companies that implement flexible workplace rules will be successful, Boynton concluded. Those that don't will lose employees to those that do, he warned.

In other comments, Boynton said Caesars World's Desert Inn hotel-casino is still for sale, but added that Caesars World will continue to operate and improve it as if it were a permanent property. Caesars is owned by Starwood Resorts.

"There is interest," Boynton said, but noted that the formidable asking price -- $400 million -- might scare away any but the highest-end operator.

Boynton also warned that a recent agreement between California Gov. Pete Wilson and the Pala Band of Indians could pose a "significant threat" to Nevada gaming interests. The agreement, which could lead to legitimate casino-style gambling throughout California, could divert tourists from Las Vegas casinos to Southern California casinos, Boynton said. He noted that 30 percent of Las Vegas's visitors come from Southern California.

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