For those who can handle the stress, working in the casino industry can be rewarding
Macau's high-flying casinos are a blaze of non-stop light and action, offering around-the-clock excitement and 24-hour entertainment for punters, fun-seekers and the general holiday crowd.
But keeping the show on the road while the rest of the world is asleep takes an army of croupiers, cooks, technicians, cleaners and managers willing to work through the hours of darkness and effectively turn night into day.
One such person is Otto Ieong, who has been with Wynn Macau for the past couple of years and is now thoroughly familiar with the shift patterns and routines that go with casino work. He started out as a table games supervisor on the main gaming floor and, in October last year, took on the role of pit manager in the VIP gaming area, fully aware that overnight work came with the territory for anyone looking to make a career in the gaming industry.
'I like the flexible hours and would say working shifts has more advantages than disadvantages,' said Mr Ieong, adding that the typical monthly roster assigned a mix of mornings, afternoons and nights on duty.
From his point of view, the biggest plus overall was that this allowed him to spend more time with his two children, aged six and three, than if he was in a normal nine-to-five job. It also made it possible to share some of the usual household and parenting responsibilities more equitably with his wife, who similarly works on the gaming side for Wynn Macau and is therefore required to do shift work as well.
