I was charged with simple assault a few years ago for having some involvement in a fight I didn't physically take part in.

I am in PA and I understand that my charge can be reason for the state to not allow me to acquire my gaming license, but i would like to know the likelihood of that happening.

Interview is everything. It's only a big deal if you make it a big deal.

I'm not familiar with PA but my experiences elsewhere suggest that as long as you're honest during the interview it doesn't sound like deal-breaker.

What happened with the charge? Were you convicted?

Being charged (arrested) for something does not matter. Convictions matter.

Was there a fight between two other people, and you said "Get 'em, get 'em???"

Normal employment laws don't apply to gaming applications, especially tribal gaming. In Missouri, for example, I'm required to list all arrests, charges, etc even if the charges were dropped or I was not sentenced. I know someone who had trouble getting a California tribal license because she had a minor offense 10+ years earlier and could not proceed until she got it removed from her record.

Having said that, I work with people who have multiple recent low level assault and drug possession charges who are able to get licensed in multiple states. I don't know how strict PA is, but there is a good chance you'll be able to get licensed.

Getting hired at the casino itself might actually be the biggest hurdle. There's no reason not to give it a shot and find out.

In all cases, disclose everything. Having them later find out you left something off is very bad.

i been dealing bout 10 months. i list misdemeanor marijuana on my apps and even when i was going through tribal process i found out i had a warrant in another state ( no registration ). they called me, told me to take care of it, provide proof i did and they called me for orientation next day.

also, when applying for a state license they have whats called a "felony waver"; so even people with felonies can deal in some instances

It might be simple enough to call the HR office and ask them point blank. If they have an automatic rule the bar someone in your situation, they should tell you. Or they would know if the PA gaming board would automatically say no to you. Once you're past that point, just be honest. You'd have bigger issues with the gaming board if you lied on your application or background check and then they found out about it upon a further review.

There are 2 issues and the answer to both is ... it depends:

1) The laws and regulations of the licensing jurisdiction.

2) The policy of the hiring casino or cardroom.

If you can't get licensed then they can't hire you to deal.
If You can get licensed then it is up to the employer to decide...

In Michigan I think that any misdemeanor that is associated with $$/gambling (theft, shoplifting, house game tickets) somehow would be an issue, even in a charity room. Certainly no felons are Dealers anywhere.

One 'nice' thing the state does for the charity rooms is run all Dealers background checks at no cost. This can be both a plus and minus for the room. If a bunch of Dealers quit then you have to rely on the state to run the new employees quickly. If a room is caught running a game with a Dealer not on the 'approved' list then they are open to sanctions. GL

In florida you can not.i tried at big easy casino.i have a misdameanor theft on my crimminal back ground from 28 years ago.i wanted to be a poker dealer.yes 28 years ago.i have no felony convictions at all.i am not a felon and was denied.so then i tried the indians at the hard rock.they are seperate from the state of florida.they have there own licensing department.now on all there applications they only ask if i have ever been convicted of any felonies.two applications i had to fill out and was able to answer no.i have never been convicted of a felony.two days before i was able to start dealing school iwas again declined.so the answer is no you can not be a casino dealer with a misdameanor theft on your record even if its 30 years old.i was very disapointed that was being held against me from wanting to become a dealer.this was 2023 i applied to be a dealer.

That sucks. They probably lump all financial and theft crimes together, no matter how minor or how long ago. I definitely know people with assault and drug convictions working at Seminole properties.

You might be able to get in another state.

After 30 years you should be able to get your record expunged, I would talk to a lawyer.

Yes.theres a possibility from another state.yes it was minor and it's not who I am today compared when I was 20 years old.I am appealing it with the state of Florida right now.maybe with a outside chance I can state my case of moral and good character etc today.but as for the hard rock there's no appeal process.its just a yes or no after they contact you there's no other steps you can take.

I've known two Dealers who went back into their past and had items removed from their records in order to receive the Gamming License needed in order to deal. Not sure if they 'remember' that you already applied or if it's just a generic handling of your application (as it should be). I would tend to agree that there's no appeal process since it would create 'unnecessary' extra work on their end .. in their opinion. GL

Two hurdles.
State Gaming License and Casino/Cardroom hiring policies.

Gaming License: Some states have rules (X years since conviction), some are no felonies, some offer a waiver process that is discretionary but difficult and handled by an investigator with the state gaming regulators. I personally know two guys with felony waivers successfully working as dealers, but they're particularly skilled, seasoned dealers and the felonies were a long time ago, not related to dishonesty (one was drugs, the other was a regulatory offense). A new/break-in dealer probably wouldn't warrant the effort required to drag them across that line.

Now, how the casino handles hiring is up to them. Some may or may not. Theft will absolutely be one of the things they do not want to see, for obvious reasons.

For an idea of how hard it can be, Eric Drache lost his NV license after some IRS horseshit and could no longer be a TD, and he was the guy who literally invented several different things associated with modern poker.

I wasn't aware so I set out to learn something. WP:
Wow. That's quite a feather in his cap. Oh wait, there's more.
Training? Like, at all? Impressive. Sometimes the obvious doesn't become obvious until someone suggests it.

Oh, and there's one more invention:
Well damn. There's always gotta be some big flaw with everyone.

(In all seriousness I doubt he was doing MM the stupid way I see nowadays where they break a 6-handed game by taking someone so an 8 or 9 handed game can stay full.)