New Castle native Brianna Busch is representing Delaware Park Casino this week against 49 other dealers from across North America
View the whole article on Delaware Live: Delaware Park dealer takes her skills to national stage in Las Vegas | Delaware LIVE News
WILMINGTON, Del. — A New Castle native who learned to deal cards at Delaware Park Casino just four years ago is putting those skills to the test this week on one of the gaming industry’s biggest stages.
Brianna Busch is representing Delaware Park Casino at the 2026 G2E Dealer Championship at The Venetian Expo in Las Vegas.
The three-day competition, which began Tuesday and concludes Thursday, brings together 50 dealers representing casinos from across North America. For the first time, the championship includes dealers from Canada and Mexico as well as the United States.
Busch is the first dealer from Delaware Park to compete in the national event.
“It’s very exciting and shocking,” Busch said when she learned she had been selected. “I feel honored that Delaware Park is involved and that I get to represent them.”
From dealer school to Las Vegas
Busch’s path to the competition began with a setback.
She first enrolled in dealer training in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the classes to be canceled. She returned in 2022, completed Delaware Park’s dealer school and joined the casino’s table games staff that June.
Since then, Busch has learned every table game offered at Delaware Park and recently was promoted to supervisor.
Her chance to represent the casino came after an internal competition July 15. Busch advanced to a final group of five employees who demonstrated their dealing skills while working with actual guests on the casino floor.
Rather than treating it as a special performance, Busch said she relied on what she does every day.
“This is what I do, so it didn’t feel like a competition,” Busch said. “I just focused on being who I am and doing my job.”
Blackjack, roulette — and people skills
At G2E, Busch and the other competitors must demonstrate more than an ability to shuffle cards, calculate payouts or spin a roulette wheel.
Each contestant deals blackjack and traditional roulette for 15 minutes and is evaluated on technical skills, hospitality and game control. The tournament uses elimination rounds, culminating Thursday with the championship.
Busch’s favorite game is roulette.
Her preparation for blackjack, however, sometimes follows her home to Delaware.
While driving, Busch said she looks at numbers on Delaware license plates and uses them to practice the mental arithmetic required at a blackjack table, adding and calculating numbers toward 21.
“I like to work under pressure,” Busch said. “It’s controlled chaos, but I know what I’m doing.”
The gaming industry also runs in the family. Busch’s mother began working in the industry in the 1990s, including a stint at Delaware Park, and encouraged her daughter to consider becoming a dealer.
Busch previously attended culinary school and said she sees similarities between a busy restaurant kitchen and a crowded casino table: Both require employees to remain calm, accurate and personable while working quickly under pressure.
Delaware Park sends one of its own
Delaware Park officials said Busch’s advancement from dealer school graduate to supervisor and now national competitor illustrates the career opportunities available within casino operations.
“We, as a department, are very excited to be able to have Brianna represent us in Las Vegas,” said Kevin Gargin, director of table games. “Brianna shows the qualities we strive to make a standard. She takes pride in her work and focuses on making sure guests have a positive, memorable experience.”
Terry Glebocki, president and general manager of Delaware Park Casino, said Busch’s progress has been remarkable.
“In just four years, Brianna has grown tremendously — from a graduate of our dealer’s school to a floor supervisor,” Glebocki said. “She exemplifies the very best of Delaware Park through skill, confidence, an engaging personality and an undeniable rapport with our guests.”
The championship is part of the Global Gaming Expo, presented by the American Gaming Association and organized by RX. The competition debuted in 2025 with 34 U.S. dealers. This year’s expanded field includes 50 competitors from across North America.
For Busch, the trip also marks another milestone: her first visit to Las Vegas.
And despite competing against some of the continent’s top casino dealers, her strategy remains much the same as it was during Delaware Park’s internal competition.
Trust her training, engage the people at the table and do the job she already knows how to do.
