Cash out chips and tickets
Count the chips a guest hands over or cash in their gaming ticket, then count out their payout.
Career profile
Casino Cage Worker
Cage cashiers handle money at a casino's cashier desk, known as the cage.
This work blends greeting guests with a careful count of chips and cash. It suits people who like both helping others and making numbers agree.
A day in the life
Log every exchange
You enter each exchange in the computer log, using the paper log when a transaction calls for it.
Track down a count mismatch
Match your count to the transaction summary, and if they differ, recheck counts and entries for the gap.
Keep the window stocked
Spot bills, coins or chips running low at the window and request what upcoming exchanges will need.
Quick facts
High school diploma or equivalent
United States
$37,580/year
United States · May 2025
3.1% decline
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
High school diploma or equivalentYou typically learn the work on the job, including casino procedures and transaction rules.
Pay
$37,580/yearNational median for gambling cage workers, equivalent to $18.07 an hour.
Outlook
3.1% declineEmployment is projected to shrink, with about 1,200 openings a year nationwide.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You like checking a total until you can explain it.
- You can stay attentive through repeated transactions.
- You enjoy brief conversations with many different people.
Things to weigh
- Noise and impatient customers can compete with work that demands accuracy.
- Some jobs keep you standing for most of the shift, with bending and lifting as you move funds.
- Some openings are part-time and on call; check the expected hours before relying on the income.
Where AI may help
Money counters help count cash, while electronic logs keep transaction records. Some casinos also use customer kiosks.
What people still lead
Cashiers still check exchanges, document what happened and answer guests’ questions.
What we can’t predict yet
How much routine window work moves to kiosks—and how much cashier time shifts to helping with machines—remains uncertain.
Pay in context
Earnings
The national median was $37,580 a year, or $18.07 an hour, in May 2025. That is a midpoint across gambling cage workers, not a starting offer.
The national spread
The 10th-percentile wage was $29,100 a year ($13.99 an hour), and the 90th-percentile wage was $49,430 ($23.76 an hour). These describe the wage distribution, not a guaranteed progression with experience.
Check the whole offer
Some cage jobs include tips. Compare the base hourly wage and expected weekly hours first, then ask how tips are handled.
Openings despite a decline
Employment is projected to fall 3.1% from 2025 to 2035, while averaging about 1,200 openings each year. A shrinking occupation can still need people to replace workers who leave.
Getting started
Apply where cashiering experience is preferred
- What the route involves
- Look for cage jobs that prefer, rather than require, previous cashiering. Learn the casino’s transactions and rules through workplace training.
- What it can lead to
- This can provide a first cage role and experience balancing a casino window.
- What to check
- Some employers require applicants to be at least 21. Check the specific job’s age limit and any gaming license or registration requirements with the employer and local gaming authority.
Bring cash-handling experience
- What the route involves
- Build experience handling frequent cash transactions, such as in banking, and practice accurate counting and basic arithmetic.
- What it can lead to
- Relevant experience can meet requirements for cage jobs that do not accept beginners. Some employers also use a basic math test.
A high school diploma or equivalent is the typical preparation. Entry depends on the employer’s experience requirements and the gaming rules where you apply.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Get established
Learn the window’s transaction steps, recordkeeping and gaming rules until you can complete routine exchanges accurately.
Learn the main bank
Where cross-training is available, learn to supply other cashiers, check their paperwork and process departmental deposits.
Move toward cage supervisor
With cage experience, you can pursue supervision: reviewing shift reports, approving transactions, coordinating staffing and resolving guest complaints.
Where you can work
Guest-facing cage windows
You work directly with guests through repeated cash and chip exchanges. Clear explanations and keeping your window stocked matter throughout the shift.
- Indoors
- Shift work
The casino’s main bank
More of your work involves other cashiers and internal funds. You check gaming paperwork and handle deposits from departments such as food and beverage, alongside some guest transactions.
- Indoors
- Shift work
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Make paper chips worth $1, $5 and $25 and a pretend cash bank. Have a friend redeem five batches while you record each exchange. Reconcile the cash left with your log. Notice whether talking while counting makes you lose your place.
Stay safe: Use pretend money; no gambling or casino visit is needed.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. Gambling Cage Workers — 43-3041.00. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — national estimates, SOC 43-3041. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment Projections Table 1.2 — 2025–2035, SOC 43-3041. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Financial Clerks — education and training. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- Boyd Gaming. Cage Cashiers. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- Boyd Gaming. Master Bank Cashier. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- MGM Resorts International. Cage Cashier — MGM Springfield. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- MGM Resorts International. Cage Cashier — ARIA. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- MGM Resorts International. Cage Supervisor — New York New York. Accessed 2026-10-10.