Uprooted by hurricane in Puerto Rico, new Horseshoe Casino dealers hope better fortune is in the cards
A former casino worker on the island, the 20-year-old has a new job as a blackjack and roulette dealer on the swing shift at
But like thousands of Puerto Ricans who left after Hurricane Maria, Perez is between worlds. He shares a two-bedroom townhome in
His mother remains in
"
Perez is among up to 200,000 residents of
The competition for experienced dealers is intense in
Horseshoe, which employs about 1,400 people, has seen revenue decline since the
Horseshoe general manager
But the new employees must push past harrowing memories of one of the worst natural disasters ever to strike American citizens. An estimated 2,975 people died on the island because of the storm.
Table games dealer Yandres Colon, 21, was on the roof of his grandmother's house when Maria barreled into
"I had to do it," he said. "We didn't want the roof falling in."
The Perez family was together in their home on
"There is nothing in the park left," he said. "Thank God my home didn't have any damage."
In Maria's aftermath, Chamberlin happened to have a conversation with a Horseshoe chef who is from
"He showed us pictures -- it was months after Maria had come through -- and I was crying," Chamberlin said. "It was his family home. He was like, 'This is how they're living.' It was unbelievable. What he showed me broke my heart."
After that, Chamberlin said, "We said let's go for it. Let's see if anybody would like to come over and work. It kind of just snowballed. People needs jobs and and we would love to have experienced folks."
The elder Perez, a former casino dealer and manager, was working with a Puerto Rican tourism commission last year that had to cut its budget in the hurricane's wake. A friend of his at Horseshoe called and said: "Maybe you could try my casino."
Perez responded that plenty of others might like jobs, too. Now he's become a conduit for others seeking to relocate. And he's like a dad for many of the younger transplants from the island.
He invites the new hires to live in his home in a quiet subdivision about 15 minutes from the casino.
"I open my house and give them the opportunity to stay there," he said. "We have to help each other. Once they have a couple of checks they're able to move to another house, and that gives me the opportunity to bring more people."
He originally rented the house for himself and his son. But it's become akin to a dormitory, with mattresses on the floor.
Since the casino must be staffed around the clock, the dealers don't all work the same hours. It seems somebody is always either heading to Horseshoe or going to bed.
"Never a dull moment," said
The house has just one bathroom and
"We collect some money to create a budget for food," the father said. "Breakfast and dinner we make a grocery list and we buy for everybody. Me and my son were
Not yet 21, he looks almost too young for casino work.
"A lot of people say how are you working as a dealer?" said Perez, wearing his Horseshoe uniform of black slacks and white shirt with a gold bow tie and vest. State law says dealers can be employed at 18 but can't gamble until 21. "But I've been able to make friends. I have people that come to see me at my table."
Since the games requires math, dealers must train their brains to be calculators amid the ringing and whirring of slot machines and other background noise. They are expected to be relentlessly cheerful on the job.
"My son is very jolly," his father said. "Everybody likes the way he deals the games."
While dealers earn a salary based on experience, their take-home pay depends largely on tips.
Personable young dealers such as
"If they can chat and hang out and give your players a positive experience, that's a plus," said
The younger Perez speaks English to customers but is bilingual. Many patrons know he is from
President
The estimate of 2,975 deaths comes from a study by the
Trump said release of the higher figure "was done by the
The elder Perez said he long believed the initial estimates were too conservative.
"We know for sure the number was really high," he said. "The thing is, how many people died that night and how many died as a consequence? There were a lot of people that needed insulin and had to have refrigerators. We had no power and we'd be running out of ice and water. So they died because of that, and that is part of the consequence of the hurricane. But they didn't count it."
The exodus from
But experts say Maria's impact on
Other area casinos have also hired workers from the island territory. A spokesperson for
Horseshoe's Chamberlin said she and
It took time to identify dealer candidates, conduct background checks and spread the word that Horseshoe was hiring.
He didn't see his wife, 1 1/2-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son for eight months.
"It was very hard. I lost all the holidays," said Rosado, who is still learning English. He missed his daughter's first birthday, connecting with her only through streaming video. "I cry a lot," he said.
But, with Perez's help, Rosado landed a job with Horseshoe in June and now rents a house in the same complex as Perez in
"Everybody is helping each other," said Colon, who recently moved out of Perez's home and got an apartment in anticipation of his mother arriving soon from
"We're making it," he said.
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