High-tech slots bringing changing times for jobs

Bob Shemeligian

Friday, Sept. 12, 1997 | 11:03 a.m.

Geri Grebinec, a change person at the Stardust Hotel for seven years, not only handles change on the job -- she also handles change in her job description.

The role of some 3,000 union change persons in Las Vegas, and probably almost as many nonunion workers, has been somewhat diminished in recent years with the advent of the automatic bill acceptors, also known as validators.

Because most slot machines in Las Vegas -- as well as all other gaming jurisdictions -- accept coins and paper money, in many cases the change person no longer is needed to substitute a roll of quarters for a $10 bill.

But, Grebinec said, the change person still is needed.

"The validator won't say, 'good luck' or 'thank you,'" Grebinec said with a smile. "The machines have changed, but the players haven't. They still want you to be there."

"They add a personal touch," said Ruth Carras, a visitor from Boston as she played a video poker machine at the Gold Coast hotel-casino. "I like to see people working in a casino."

But Annie England, a slot player from Rosamond, Calif., said she would rather use a coin validator that ask a change person for quarters.

"It saves time and it's easier," she said.

Slot supervisors interviewed said the change person is still needed.

"There was a thought in this industry that sometime in the future, the position would be eliminated, but we have found through experience that this is not the case," said Juan Hernandez, Stardust slot manager. "The slot player wants human contact."

Hernandez and other slot supervisors note that even in the age of automatic coin acceptors, change persons still fill a vital casino role.

"Often customers will ask a change girl to break a $100 bill because they don't want to put such a large bill in the machine," Hernandez said. "They also provide many other customer service duties, ranging from helping a customer obtain service for a machine to finding an empty coin bucket."

"They do quite a bit," said Rich Lehman, director of slot operations at Binion's Horseshoe. "When a bill is crumpled or the validator quits working, the player still needs a person to help."

Still, Hernandez, Lehman and other industry experts say the ranks of change persons in Southern Nevada have been thinned as much as 20 percent, mostly through attrition, since the advent of automatic bill acceptors in recent years.

"I'm down at least 20 percent," said Rick Hutchins, slot manager at the Edgewater hotel-casino in Laughlin, which has 1,350 slots and 70 percent of them are equipped with bill acceptors.

"It's not really sad," Hutchins said. "It's a good thing, because many of the former change persons are now slot hosts and slot club representatives. They have jobs that require more skills."

Like other slot supervisors, Hutchins believes there will always be a need for change persons.

"The customer needs employee contact," Hutchins said. "They don't want to walk in and see a whole bunch of slots sitting there and no employees."

Lehman agrees.

"Customers go through this town and they get used to hearing: 'Change!' And when they don't hear that, they feel the casino is not serving them, and they walk out."

"The human element is still very important," said Ed Rogich, director of national accounts for International Game Technology, manufacturer of 80 percent of the slot machines in Southern Nevada casinos.

Rogich, who estimates that three out of four IGT machines in Nevada have bill acceptors, believes there will always be a role for change persons.

"There is still need for service from a change person," Rogich said. "Some people don't want to use the bill acceptor, and the change person is there when the player calls for help or when the hopper is empty."

Slot supervisors note that many slot players are superstitious or emotional in their feelings toward change persons.

These players feel the change person will direct them to the "hottest machines" and will be there if the player's luck turns to the worse.

"The player needs a shoulder to cry on once in a while," Lehman said. "After all the change persons have been there. A lot of them go out and gamble, and they know what it's like to lose."

Gaming analysts agree that while economic and efficient automatic bill validators will grow in popularity in casinos, there will always be room on the casino floor for change persons.

"In terms of costs, with the bill validators, the casino pays less in salaries," said Jason Ader of Bear Stearns & Co. "But I don't think they'll ever go to a completely electronic casino."

Danny Davila of Rodman & Renshaw agreed.

"The casino still has a human element that makes it successful," Davila said. "That's why we discount things like Internet gaming. No matter how technologically advanced the innovation, it's not the same as the human emotion that goes into the thrill of the wager. After all, it's a game -- it's supposed to be fun."

The 3,000 unionized Southern Nevada change persons -- mostly women -- are members of Culinary Local 226.

Glen Arnodo, political action director, said he believes the change person is "a trademark of Las Vegas."

"The overwhelming majority of our members really do love their jobs and love dealing with customers," Arnodo said.