He should be easy, yet formal in his interaction with the customers and should have a ready tendency to smile. We need these qualities with a taste for basic arithmetic. Academic qualifications don't mean a thing when it comes to scouting for dealers with potential,' said John Snowball, general manager of the Maharaja Casino.

Basic arithmetic not only involves learning crucial multiplication tables but also memory games to help dealers to deduce the value of stacked chips and winnings within moments.

According to Khan, popular Disney animation character Mickey Mouse is hot on the memory game list. 'It's the way the chips are laid on the column of numbers. The pattern has Mickey mouse all over it. Nose, eyes, ears, etc. Mickey Mouse is code for the number 67, i.e., when the chips are stacked in a particular manner,' Khan explained.

Khan, who himself has worked in casinos across the world, including countries like Greece, South Africa, Bahamas and Britain for over 35 years, said with the casino gaming industry still at a fledgling stage in India, there could soon be a demand for dealers and other positions upward in the hierarchy like dealer inspectors and pit boss managers.

'We see the field growing soon in India. Most casino employees would earn a much higher than average disposable income,' he said.

There are six offshore casinos parked in the Mandovi river off Panaji that cater to hundreds of thousands of tourists who arrive in Goa annually.

(Mayabhushan Nagvenkar can be contacted at mayabhushan.n@ians.in)