Gambling Dealers vs Recreation Workers: $34K vs $37K Median Pay

Gambling Dealers vs Recreation Workers: what changes?

Consider Gambling Dealers if you want to operate table games. Consider Recreation Workers if you would rather conduct recreation activities with groups in public, private, or volunteer agencies or recreation facilities. Both list high school diploma or equivalent; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Gambling Dealers and Recreation Workers. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Gambling Dealers

National median pay (2025): $34,320
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Pay winnings or collect losing bets as established by the rules and procedures of a specific game.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 13,300

Know before you choose

Long periods of standing are part of the normal workday.

See the full Gambling Dealers brief

Recreation Workers

National median pay (2025): $36,560
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Enforce rules and regulations of recreational facilities to maintain discipline and ensure safety.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 67,000

Know before you choose

Review the full career brief for day-to-day working conditions.

See the full Recreation Workers brief

How the national numbers differ

Typical preparation differs.

Gambling Dealers: High school diploma or equivalent; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing Recreation Workers: High school diploma or equivalent; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

Recreation Workers has the edge on annual openings

Recreation Workers is at 67,000 annual openings, compared with 13,300 annual openings for Gambling Dealers.

Recreation Workers has the edge on projected growth

Recreation Workers is at 4.3% projected growth, compared with 3.4% projected growth for Gambling Dealers.

Recreation Workers has the edge on median pay

Recreation Workers is at $36,560, compared with $34,320 for Gambling Dealers.

47.4/ 100

Gambling Dealers

49.8/ 100

Recreation Workers

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Gambling Dealers vs Recreation Workers

Dimension	Gambling Dealers	Recreation Workers
Median pay (2025)	$34,320	$36,560
Pay percentile	1.2 percentile	5.9 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	3.4%	4.3%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	13,300	67,000
2025 employment	88,900	346,900
How you qualify	High school diploma or equivalent; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing	High school diploma or equivalent; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 2	Job Zone 4
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.	One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Gambling Dealers brief Read Recreation Workers brief

Gambling Dealers vs Recreation Workers: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Gambling Dealers

Recreation Workers

How the national numbers differ

Typical preparation differs.

Recreation Workers has the edge on annual openings

Recreation Workers has the edge on projected growth

Recreation Workers has the edge on median pay

Gambling Dealers vs Recreation Workers

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