Casino job fair in Bowling Green lacks attendees

People interview for jobs with the Hollywood Casino at the Stroh Center in Bowling Green, Ohio. THE BLADE/JEREMY WADSWORTH Enlarge | Photo Reprints

BOWLING GREEN — Hollywood Casino held a sparsely attended job fair at Bowling Green State University on Thursday, with only 30-some applicants inside the Stroh Center in the early afternoon.

The fair was the second of three scheduled this month to fill up to 900 positions at the Toledo casino.

About 2,500 people attended the first job fair of the month earlier this week at Raceway Park, Hollywood officials said.

It has openings in food and beverage, maintenance and janitorial, security and surveillance, slot operations and table games, and cage cashiers.

It’s unclear how many people turned out for Thursday’s five-hour job fair; Hollywood officials did not return calls for comment and company representatives at the event said they were not allowed to comment.

Thomas Thrailkill, a 54-year-old Toledo resident, said he came to Thursday’s fair because he wants a job closer to home. Mr. Thrailkill is eyeing a surveillance position and said his 20 years in the Air Force hopefully would qualify him for the job.

“Now I have the opportunity right in my backyard to do something I enjoy,” he said.

Mr. Thrailkill is a supervisor at a plant that makes cans for the Campbell Soup Co. He’s worked there for 13 years and said it’s time for a change.

Although taking a casino job might include a pay cut, Mr. Thrailkill said he hopes he can make at least $60,000 a year.

“They might laugh at me, but I understand it,” he said. “Everything is negotiable.”

BGSU student Mackenzie Fork said she came to the job fair because she wants a job that doesn’t involve sitting in a cubicle. The 20-year-old said she loves meeting new people and working as a server would allow her to do that.

“I was looking for a different kind of job and I was looking for something fun and creative,” she said.

Ms. Fork said if she lands a position at the casino, she’d probably leave her job at the Bowling Green student newspaper, the BG News.

“It really depends on if they are flexible enough,” she said. “I’m ready for something different.”

The third job fair of the month is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday at the Owens Community College Student Health and Activities Center.

People interested in applying for a job should visitwww.hollywoodcasinotoledo.com. Filing an online application is requested before attending a job fair. People with a criminal record are not eligible, and candidates must be at least 21 years of age and have a high school diploma. The casino also is a tobacco-free facility.

There is no firm start date for employees because the casino has delayed its opening until the summer.

Sandy Sancrant said she’s hopeful she’ll have a job handling money at the casino because she’s retiring from the U.S. Postal Service in the spring. The 59-year-old Toledo resident said she’s still helping her five children and has nine grandchildren, so the money is needed.

“I love casinos and I think it’ll be great for Toledo,” she said.

Contact Kris Turner at: kturner@theblade.com or 419-724-3106.