Working at MYSTIC LAKE CASINO — Reviews by Employees

I have not had any good experience with Mystic Lake. Management is nothing but a buddy buddy system.

SLOTS

The pay is decent, in addition to the benefits. This is the only reason people would stay in such a hostile work environment.

First off, the tribe refuses to expand the non-smoking section. Every time an attempt to expand it is put forward, the tribe kicks back with force.

RESPECT: The supervisors treat you like children. Many micro-manage to extremes and don't know what the word "delegate" means. Their assumption is often guilty until proven innocent in many situations.

Job Security: Unless you cozy up with supervisors and above, your job security is moot. The department is automating and is slowly shrinking its size. Most full-time jobs are to be replaced with part-timers, and many weekend off positions are being eliminated. But you might make 5 years, if you are lucky.

Work/life balance: The point system they have for attendance is very strict compared to other employers. Miss 5 days in a 6 month period and you are gone. They are also strict about giving leave of absence.

Career Potential/Growth: The Twin Cities is not Las Vegas. There are few potential careers outside of Vegas and tribal casinos for employees in the Slots department to go to. But I do not see Las Vegas growing if oil prices never fall.

Location: Scott County. It is 45 minutes from downtown Minneapolis! But again, people will drive from Mankato or Forest Lake to work there. The pay is decent and so this can make the location less important.

Co-worker Competence: Most co-workers will do the right thing. There are few who would not go out of their way to assist guests.

Work Environment: Did I mention it was harsh? The particulate matter from all the smoke is already awful. We are NOT ALLOWED TO SPEAK to our co-workers,unless on break. (This does not count supervisors, but you must work there a year to apply for this position ) I had a co-worker tell me in front of management that he wanted me dead and he was STILL not terminated for doing so. Another co-worker was recently fired because she complained to Human Resources about sexual harassment. Unless you have "Native Preference," your likelihood to persevere in this environment is quite improbable.

Black jack dealer - most all of the pay comes from the tips, so the casino actually pays very little of your wages. A lot of the Mgrs do not even have a high school education, and got where they are by basically kissing up. I witnessed people being fired for having cancer or a family crisis. If one of the "Mgrs" doesn't like you, even though you are a great worker, it will be out the door for you. The women and minorities are frequently harrased, and the employees have no employment rights, as it is a sovereign nation - they do not have to abide by employenet laws, and they take advantage of it. If you like working in a dark smoke hole, on holidays, weekends and at night this is the job for you. There is good career growth if you are a young male, or if you are a tribal member, otherwise forget it. If you are nostalgic and would like to work as if the year was 1945 - then you will love it here. If you complain about harrassment or any other issue, they will retaliate and you will be fired. If you get hurt on the job, they are covered by their own comp. policy, and will nix any claim. It is a nice drive to the casino to work everyday, if you like to drive miles to the sticks on unsafe roads in a snow storm, only to get a "point" for being late. Too many "points" such as being sick or attending your mothers funeral will result in termanation. They love to fire people, so they can start all over at the bottom of the pay scale and benefits. Good luck in collecting your 401 - that isn't covered by any laws either. If the state would open a casino they wouldn't have an employee left out there. So, if brown nosing is your game....go apply, you probably will be part time w/out benefits for the rest of your life. There is a reason the employees call this place Mistake Lake.