Only 70 of the needed 130 people showed up for the opening of the V.I. government’s casino training school Monday in Frederiksted.
Because of the low turnout, Acting Commissioner of Tourism Michael Bornn said registration for the school will be extended through Tuesday. Some 150 people registered for casino-gaming training two years ago, but time has apparently taken its toll, Bornn said. A heavy rain on Monday didn’t help either, he said.
Bornn said the training, which will cost Virgin Islanders $25, is worth between $900 and $1,200 on the mainland.
"Let’s get going," he said. "It’s a great opportunity."
The Divi Carina Bay Resort casino, scheduled to open in December, needs 130 people to staff blackjack, roulette, craps and poker tables as well as slot machines. V.I. law also mandates that a casino operating in the territory must have 65 percent Virgin Islands residents as staff by the end of the first year. The percentage increases to 75 percent after the second year and 80 percent after the third.
"We held orientation for the registered students at the site (Monday) morning and we had almost 20 new registrants attend the session," Bornn said. "Yet almost 60 openings" remained by noon on Monday.
Because of the shortage Bornn will extend the registration through 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Bornn said the turnout Monday was a "disappointment." He said that because of the dismal economy on St. Croix he figured on around 200 people showing up.
"I thought our problem would be that we would have to turn away people," he said.
Assistant Tourism Commissioner Pamela Richards said that those who are already in the program will begin a more intense level of orientation this week, including one-on-one interviews with the school’s staff, to determine gaming training. The first official day of classes begins on Friday, she said.
A six-person training crew headed by Vic Taucer, the owner of Nevada-based Casino Creations, will conduct the training. Taucer’s $92,000 contract ends on Dec. 3. The overall cost for the casino training school is $200,000, Bornn said.
Casino Creations produces casino instructional seminars, gaming curriculum and publishes instructional text books on gaming. Taucer, a professor of casino management for the university and community college system in Nevada, also consults with casinos on managerial training.
Those interested in registering for the casino training school can either visit the Frederiksted Mall or call 692-6757.