(PRESS RELEASE) -- New Castle, Delaware, native Brianna Busch will head to Las Vegas later this month to represent
Delaware Park Casino & Racing and her home state in the G2E Dealer Championship, taking place during the Global Gaming Expo. Just four years after beginning her career at Delaware Park’s dealer training school, Brianna will compete against some of the nation’s most skilled dealers in blackjack and her favorite game, roulette.
On July 15, Brianna was selected to represent Delaware Park Casino after advancing through an internal competition among her colleagues. For Brianna, who has learned every table game offered at Delaware Park and was recently promoted to supervisor, the opportunity marks an exciting new chapter in a career that she once had to put on hold.
“It was very exciting and shocking,” Brianna said of learning she had been selected to represent Delaware Park Casino. “I feel honored that Delaware Park is involved and that I get to represent them.”
Her first attempt at dealer training came in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of her classes. In 2022 after restrictions lifted, Brianna completed Delaware Park’s dealer school, and joined the team that June. Since then, she has steadily built her skills across the casino floor.
During Delaware Park’s internal competition, Brianna advanced to a final group of five dealers who demonstrated their skills while dealing to guests on the casino floor. Rather than letting the competition change her approach, she relied on the same combination of technical ability and guest engagement she brings to work daily.
“This is what I do, so it didn’t feel like a competition,” Brianna said. “I just focused on being who I am and doing my job.”
Brianna’s connection to gaming began well before she stepped behind a table. Her mother, who began working in the industry in the 1990s, including time at Delaware Park, encouraged her daughter to consider a career in gaming. Before then, Brianna had attended culinary school. She saw a natural connection between the fast-paced, high-pressure environments of busy kitchens and crowded gaming tables.
“I like to work under pressure,” Brianna said. “It’s controlled chaos, but I know what I’m doing.”
Brianna even finds ways to sharpen her skills away from the casino. While driving, she uses the numbers on Delaware license plates to practice mental math for blackjack, adding and calculating the numbers to reach 21. She says this informal exercise keeps her mind quick for the tables.
Now she is preparing for an entirely new experience. Just four days after her birthday, Brianna will take her first trip to Las Vegas. While brushing up on her techniques and details such as precise card placement, she’s reinforcing her straightforward plan for the competition: trust the skills she has developed and do what she knows how to do.
“We, as a department, are very excited to be able to have Brianna represent us in Las Vegas,” said Keving Gargin, director of table games. “Brianna shows the qualities we strive to make a standard. She takes pride in her work and focuses on making sure guests have a positive, memorable experience.”
“In just four years, Brianna has grown tremendously—from a graduate of our dealer’s school to a floor supervisor,” said Terry Glebocki, president and general manager of Delaware Park Casino. “She exemplifies the very best of Delaware Park through skill, confidence, an engaging personality and an undeniable rapport with our guests. We are so proud to have Brianna representing Delaware Park Casino at the competition this year and wish her the best of luck.”
The G2E Dealer Championship will take place 28 September through 1 October at The Venetian Expo. Competitors will be evaluated on hospitality, technical skills and game control, with a $5,000 prize awarded to the champion.
Delaware Park Casino’s next dealer school starts on Tuesday, 8 September.