PathUp '24

Welcome to the PathUp Initiative by CEG Dealer School for the benefit of its school, students and community. 

7

Contributors

2023: 24 Total

$2,760

Total Funded

2023: $3200

$15,000

Fund Goal

Free Haircuts - First Wednesday of each month

The first Wednesday of each month we allow students to sign up and get a free haircut at Sport Cut on Spring Mountain and Decatur.

Free Tailored Black & Whites - Monthly Candidates

We select candidates each month to obtain a free set of Tailored Black and Whites.

Casino Dealers need to audition to “earn” their job. We want them to look good and feel confident.  The Black & Whites include a pair black slacks and a white button down shirt, all tailored to fit.

Veterans helping Veterans become Dealers

Some of the money is earmarked to help Veterans in-need pay their tuition to the school.

The PathUp Initiative

The CEG PathUp Initiative was established to create opportunity for students in need.

To do this, we will use funds to

  1.  Reduce enrollment fees for students in need.
  2.  Pay for incidental costs that promote successful hiring events like haircuts and Black & White uniforms.
  3.  Maintain, upgrade and expand our facilities and resources available to students. 

All this as a private entity with no government assistance or red tape. This is not a charity fund, there are no tax exemptions and we are not a non-profit entity (yet). This is about paying it forward and creating opportunities supported by members, promoted by qualified staff and earned by our students.

Every donation will be added to our funding meter. We will also be adding a wall to this website highlighting any significant contributions to our effort.  You will also see regular updates detailing how the resources are directly benefitting our students and the school. 

Becoming a Casino Dealer is a pathway to long term financial security and stability.

  • It’s easy and fast. No college degree or even a high school diploma is required, simply train for 1 to 2 months and earn your first job. Train some more and upgrade. Rinse and repeat. 
  • Some have lifelong aspirations to become a casino dealer, while others that have found it difficult to find and keep a job will discover being a dealer is fun and easy. 
  • The average casino dealer makes more than 35k a year (a living wage). The average strip dealer makes more than 50k a year, and there are many jobs which pay in excess of 100k along the casino career path.
  • There is little to no ageism or sexism.
  • Casino gaming is expanding into more markets every year, offering more opportunities around the world. 
  • Casino gaming is a reliable fall-back career. Have other aspirations? Need a break? Returning to casino gaming is easy and effortless. A few weeks to refresh and you’re back in the game. 

Why are we doing this you ask?

We want the school to grow and prosper for the benefit of our students and instructors. Dealer schools in Vegas have completely cannibalized the market. In 1991, the average cost to learn one game was more than $500 ($868 in today’s dollars). Today, we charge $500 for 3 classes and give students 6 months. We know of a school that charges as little as $100 for a class, and you get exactly what you pay for. The math simply does not work out well and does not provide much incentive.  It’s untenable.

Dealer Schools faced with lower fees have to find money somewhere and usually it means less qualified instructors, lower quality equipment or shortened training which leads to less qualified dealers who won’t have the tools to build a successful gaming career.  

CEG has managed to raise its standards due to higher enrollments and more quality students, but ultimately we need to make a change to continue moving forward. 

We have tried working directly with Casinos, but it’s a slow sluggish process. They call us daily asking for qualified dealers, commiserating about the lack of employees, yet few if any are willing to make the investment.  We have been banging our heads against the wall for years. 

Youtube helped us change the game. Thanks to our community we have been able to distinguish ourselves and stay alive under difficult circumstances. Also thanks to Youtube and our growing media presence, our financial rewards have changed paths. 

Our hearts are deeply embedded in the school. The stories, the teachers, the students, the journeys, it’s all there. We want it to grow and prosper for all the right reasons. 

Here are the milestones we are looking to achieve:

  1. Lower enrollment costs by 10-20% from contributions.
  2. Continue our FREE to students First Wednesday Haircuts. 
  3. Continue to offer FREE Black and White uniforms to students in need each month. 
  4. Increase student body by a factor of 2 with sponsored tuitions.
  5. Expand job placement network throughout the US.
  6. Upgrade online academy.
  7. Improve Learning Management Systems (LMS).
  8. Expand hours and weekend classes.
  9. Add a Slot Repair trade school.
  10. Build out a standalone facility.
  11. Add more qualified instructors.
  12. Provide temporary housing for students in transition (1 to 3 months housing relief to jumpstart their careers, or come, learn and return to their point of origin without the burden of a lease or trying to find a place).
  13. Plus much more…

Thank You!

To Our 2023 Contributors:

Joe

$500

S

$100

David

$200

Anthony

$300

Aaron

$10

Chadwick

$100

Hale

$50

Sean

$100

Jeff M

$250

PathUp is a way to reach higher. More people, more resources, more jobs, more opportunity, more careers, more rooms, more food, more of everything we need to make life better and more prosperous for anyone listening.

"I grew up without direction and without goals. After the Army I ended up homeless twice. Becoming a casino dealer saved my life and helped me build a career. In just a couple months, I was being paid well to play a game. There are very few other opportunities that can yield the same level of rewards so quickly. It is my life's goal to help as many as possible find financial security and stability with a career in casino gaming."

– David Noll, CEO Casino Education Group.