Vol. 5 No. 2, February 2008
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Nice Guys Finish First
Caesars’ Tom Rubino got the girl, the gig, and the happy ending
Break out the Hollywood script. Make Tom Rubino the lead actor in a movie called Gaming and Greatness.
All right, the concept may be tongue-in-cheek, but Rubino has lived a life like something off the big screen. The Caesars dual-rate pit manager has spent nearly three decade spelling G-R-E-A-T.
G is for gritty. Tom Rubino is a day-one Caesars veteran, a rare commodity amid numerous managerial changes.
R is for rare. Rubino met his wife Maryann, also day-one as a Caesars cocktail waitress, at the casino. They have been married 25 years and both remain in the industry.
E is for empathetic. The couple has not only raised three children, but became foster parents, and is in the process of adopting a 5-year-old.
A is for accomplished. Rubino twice won the Service Excellence Award, the equivalent of gaining two Employee of the Year awards.
T is for timely assistant. He was recently commended for helping a beleaguered comrade combat an obnoxious customer.
“I happened to be walking to the dealers lounge and the security guard is in the process of escorting a customer out,” Rubino says. “The guy broke away and started to pound the officer in the face. I could not just stand there and watch somebody get assaulted. It took eight of us to restrain the guy; it was really crazy. But I remember thinking I was too old for this!”
The Bristol, Pennsylvania native, once a starving bank manager, actually got into gaming to humor a friend. At his buddy’s urging, they drove to Atlantic City and applied for new careers in casinos. Rubino was hired; his friend was not.
Caesars quickly enhanced his personal balance sheet. Rubino began as a dealer and within a year became a supervisor. He was responsible for watching dealers, overseeing the pits and making comp decisions for customers.
“The biggest changes over the years have been the growth of amenities,” Rubino says. “With the competition all around from other states, I’m real happy that we have added not only rooms, but the shopping, the spas and the pools—all the things that customers really want. In the past, you had to turn down people who wanted rooms, and it was a real hard thing to do. You ended up losing business. Now you don’t.”
Rubino enjoys the reciprocal nature of customer interaction. Patrons have gone so far as to take him out to dinner.
“What makes this business better than most, to me, is how you can interact with the customers,” he says. “You talk to them about special interests you have while they’re gaming. You talk to people from different countries, enjoy the exchanges about different culture. You get an idea how to read people, how to find out what they want, and then give that to them.”
He also applies the concept at home. The Rubinos wanted to show their three children that some people are less fortunate. They became foster parents and will soon make young Demitry an official member of the family.
“It’s all about giving back,” Rubino says. “If God has been good to you, you must reciprocate. And it really does come back to you. Our children see it. They are very close to this little boy. Some day they will thank me, too.”
“Thanks.” It’s a phrase Rubino’s spent a lifetime hearing.
