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Dealers School Readies for Enrollment Boom

"Hiring at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa will start in earnest early next year, and among the prime jobs available are dealer positions. But in order to be considered by a casino, most dealer applicants must obtain game-training certificates from casino schools.

"…However, the 17-year-old [Professional Dealers School] almost didn't survive long enough to enjoy the expected boom in enrollment promised by a new wave of casino construction. Last year, construction on Main Street choked off access to the school on Old Turnpike, leading to a major drop in enrollment and a loss of about $100,000, said Mark Saltzberg, the school's office manager.

"…To keep the business afloat, [Chris Gross, a roulette instructor and the owner of Professional Dealers School] Gross resorted to doing most of the things business counselors advise against. He took himself off the payroll, borrowed from his IRA and retirement accounts, and cashed out his life insurance policy.

"But Gross said he was never really worried about losing all of his life's savings.

"…Sure enough, enrollment at the school rebounded last October when the bulk of the Main Street Streetscape Improvements project was completed. The dealer school also was helped by a $20,000 Project Impact loan it received from the Pleasantville Urban Enterprise Zone…"

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