Pinnacle’s River City Casino to hire 200 dealers

Dealers can expect starting salaries of between us$ 40,000 and us$ 50,000, according to a Pinnacle spokesman.

The casino is now accepting applications for its free dealer-training academy. Applicants must be at least 21 years old. Applicants who make it through the interview process will begin a 10-week course on craps in October, followed by eight-week classes for blackjack, roulette and poker beginning in November.

Participation in the academy is non-paid and doesn’t guarantee employment as a dealer with River City. Graduates who complete the training in January 2010 must then pass an audition prior to being offered a position, Pinnacle said.

River City is expected to cost us$ 392 million, including about us$ 25 million in capitalized interest and us$ 10 million operating cash for the cage, slot machines and bank accounts. The opening of River City depends on final approval by the Missouri Gaming Commission.

Las Vegas-based Pinnacle Entertainment, headed by Chairman and CEO Daniel Lee, also owns and operates Lumiere Place in downtown St. Louis as well as casinos in Nevada, Louisiana, Indiana and Argentina.