International Croupier Day

Gambling helps a person relieve stress, gain a boost of energy and, if fortune is favorable, earn money Someone makes a bet with friends, buys a lottery, places bets in bookmakers, or “paints a bullet” in a circle of like-minded people Fans of slot machines, dice and cards go to the casino Its queen is considered to be roulette, which even Napoleon played December 26 is the International Day of the Croupier - an employee of a gambling establishment who takes bets and gives out winnings In Russia, representatives of this profession are called dealers in the English manner The first casinos appeared in the Roman Empire in the 6th century BC, in Europe - more than 300 years ago They were staffed by specially trained people, bankers who spun the roulette wheel, distributed cards for playing poker and Blackjack, and monitored gambling house clients In Russia they were opened 100 years later and, despite the protests of the church, quickly gained popularity as a good way for rich people to spend their leisure time The state of euphoria of casino visitors and the sad results of uncontrolled excitement are described in the works of classics - “The Queen of Spades” by AS Pushkin and “The Player” by FM Dostoevsky And the poet himself was a notorious gambler After his death, the widow was left with debts of 120 thousand rubles - an astronomical amount for that time The peak of development of the gambling business in the Russian Federation occurred in the mid-90s and early 2000s In 2006, the turnover of funds in this area amounted to $5 billion In July 2009, a ban was issued on the operation of casinos, which, according to the law adopted by the Duma, can only exist in certain territories Thus, in the USA, gambling houses are located in Las Vegas, in Europe - Monte Carlo, in China - Macau In Russia, casinos are part of four special zones located in Sochi, the Kaliningrad region, the Primorsky Territory and Altai Gambling is a lucrative business that includes income not only from customer bets, but also from hotels, restaurants and 24-hour bars The profession of a croupier is in great demand Dealers form the backbone of the staff of any gambling establishment Unlike other casino employees, they have a set of specific knowledge A professional banker is distinguished by a special placement of his fingers Thus, the dealer must be able to easily pick up a stack of 20 gaming chips in his hand and throw a roulette ball using one of the throwing techniques: straight, reverse, wrist or flick The first dealer school was opened in Moscow in 1993 by Englishman Ian Livingstone Later other establishments began to open Their training lasts 2-5 months depending on the chosen program After completing courses and croupier schools, graduates begin working in casinos as a chipper (groups chips by color and denomination, sorts decks of cards by suit and seniority), dealer (plays poker, roulette, baccarat, craps, etc) or inspector (monitors the work of colleagues and the behavior of clients of the establishment) ATMs work all night long Their profession requires great psychological endurance and self-control The dealer must be sociable, be able to sense the atmosphere at the table, show sympathy for the losing player and inadvertently push him to make new bets Yes, dealers, in the interests of the casino, create the illusion of good fortune among visitors, but the decision to play or not is still made by the client The croupiers help him catch his luck by the tail and try his luck at roulette or blackjack, in whose honor International Croupier Day is celebrated on December 26th