Dealing One's Destiny: Jun, Casino Dealer

Illustration by Alice; Casino Table

Casinos are a touchy subject, approaching a level of moral ambiguity that allows it to legally exist, while still eliciting various opinions on its justification. Some people believe it’s up to the player to keep their urges in check. Others believe casinos, often rigged to ultimately let the house win in the end, are inherently evil in nature. Yet, what about the dealers who work at casinos? The ones who deal the cards of fate that bankrupt some and bequeath vast sums of wealth to others? Let’s spin the roulette and see things from the perspective of Mr. Jun, casino dealer, whom Ben and Eason have interviewed.

Dalian, China

Jun’s story begins in Dalian, China, a port city in the province of Liaoning. When Jun was a child, China was still recovering from the Great Cultural Revolution’s impact on the economy, only beginning to recover after opening its markets to the world. Given how China was in the process of recuperation, the future remained unsure. Jun comments, “You didn’t know what the future held and would take one step at a time.” Growing up, Jun had dreamt of becoming a transformer, who were heroes to children like him. Otherwise, Jun’s childhood was fairly standard, with his parents emphasizing the importance of hard work for achieving a better life. Having a filial duty, he obeyed, putting in effort to do well in school. After graduating high school and finishing vocational college, Jun originally had no plan nor a desire to move to the US, but agreed to follow his wife when she immigrated, wishing to keep the family intact. Overall, he states that “the process was actually fairly easy, since my wife already moved. All I needed was to fill out some simple paperwork and get on a plane.”

Though being an adult does carry its respective duties and objectively requires more effort than being a kid, Jun largely isn't bothered by them, stating that the responsibilities life brings in its different stages are fair. A kid should frolic and enjoy life; a student should study and get good grades; an adult should focus on their family. In his own words, “There’s a time in one’s life for being happy and carefree, and there’s a time in one’s life for working hard, and I’m content with that.” No matter the challenges that would come up in this uncertain world, Jun would be prepared to face it.

One regret Jun would change about his life, when asked, was on studying. Despite still putting in a fair amount of work, he believed his grades could’ve been improved. “China’s gaokao,” the Chinese university entrance exam, “was a person’s only opportunity to move up

Students Preparing for the Gaokao

the social ladder in life. You may be a peasant and your parents may be normal townspeople, but entering the middle class could be as simple (or as complex) as getting a high score on the gaokao.” When invited to provide his opinion on the state of the gaokao being so unforgiving, he admits that there are flaws, but is a “relatively impartial system that’s fair to all. It gives hope for commoners towards having a shot at a better life.”

Eventually in America, Jun started exploring various job opportunities. Recommended by an acquaintance, he learned how to cook in a restaurant (to be specific, sushi), yet the job just didn’t click with him. Other jobs in the US required fluency in English and a high degree of education, which Jun unfortunately didn’t have, due to only completing a vocational college. However, Jun was able to learn a basic amount of English, and under the recommendation of another friend, applied to be a casino dealer: it didn’t require a high education level, it was relatively easy to do, but most importantly, he didn’t have a choice for other jobs. “Not everyone has many choices in life,” Jun mentioned. When he passed the interview and was offered the job, Jun accepted. Commenting on the actual environment of the casino, Jun gave it a 7/10. “It’s not the best, but what else can I do?” he says, once again stating that there wasn’t much of a choice, and as a man, he needed to work for his family. But what about the morals of being a dealer?

When dealing cards to a table, Jun only looks at it as a job and nothing more–after all, the people who are legally allowed to gamble are all adults. Connecting back to earlier in the interview, Jun has stated that people should be aware of their responsibilities in every stage of their life. If people are gambling away their life savings, their failure to uphold accountability is their own problem. “Adults walk in with an expectation of what’s going to happen in a casino–if things get out of control and they aren’t able to stick with their expectations, should I, a person trying to just work, at fault?” Jun believes people should be prepared for losing. For Jun, everything is about control. If kept under control and used as entertainment, there’s nothing wrong with gambling. Similarly, though gambling can be a mental disorder, its impact on humans differs significantly from drugs, being that it doesn’t biologically impair brain function. Jun doesn’t look at being a casino dealer as an evil job, and when asked if his life was fulfilling, he simply responded with a yes. Nevertheless, one facet to consider is that Jun personally hasn’t dealt any high stake games that can determine the course of someone’s life–would his opinions be different if he dealt the hand that would deprive a man of his entire life’s savings? One recommendation from Jun for those looking to gamble is to bring yourself a set amount of cash each night–if you lose it all, you have no way to continue, and you may as well head home and call it a night.

The world is often cruel, and the cards it gives are unfair. Despite that, people manage to overcome and make the best out of the cards they’ve received. How do you respond? Will you be wrapped up in a losing streak, or will you face the setbacks with rational thinking? For Jun, one example of making the best out of a bad situation was taking the only job opportunity he had–a casino dealer.

The dealer readies his deck, inviting you to partake in a never ending cycle of blackjacks that make up your life. The table is set–every other decision is up for you in this never ending casino of life. Good luck.