Tsogo Sun Honours SA’s Dealers in Nationwide Competition

South Africa’s casino and hotel giant, Tsogo Sun, recently held the National Dealer Championship at MonteCasino, and paid tribute to the best of the country’s dealers. At the end of the evening, 31 year old Tando Guzano, a dealer at MonteCasino took home the 2017 Dealer of the Year award.

The finals of the championship hosted 18 finalists from 14 different casinos in the Tsogo Sun group from around the country. Finalists represented casinos such as Gold Reef City, Suncoast Casino, Silverstar Casino and more. The 18 finalists represented only 1.2% of the number of table dealers employed by Tsogo Sun.

Tsogo Sun awarded Guzana with the Dealer of the Year accolade after he beat the other finalists in categories such as customer service, dealing skills, game knowledge and more.

Management from Tsogo Sun acted as judges and tested the finalists for their technical skills, focusing on blackjack and American Roulette. The competition was whittled down to just five finalists, who were then given time to present a prepared answer and also answer an unprepared question.

Tando Guzana was thrilled with his win. “I am that person who facilitates the gambling on the other side of the guests,” he said. “They come to my table and play. I will be the guy engaging them and playing with them.”

Asked about his favorite game, Guzana said that it was, without a doubt, American Roulette.

“It is more challenging than the others,” he said. “There are so many aspects involved if you can play that game then nothing can faze you. It is so interesting and I love the surprises it comes with every day, especially the way people play in different ways.”

He encouraged others to try and get into the world of dealing. He said that it was a challenging career and allowed employees to work their way up.

“In the casino, there are so many opportunities for growth,” he said. “If you feel like dealing isn’t for you there are lots of departments to go into.”