100,000 To Vie For 8,500 Casino Jobs

The city’s costliest megaresort is betting there won’t be a crush of paperwork next week at Bellagio, even if more than 100,000 workers show up looking to get one of 8,500 jobs. A unique computer system is at the ready to streamline things.

The $1.6 billion Bellagio won’t open until Oct. 15, but Mirage Resorts Inc. began preparing more than a year ago for the unprecedented hiring process.

Mindful of the snaking lines that have surrounded other resort openings, Mirage set up a $2.5 million job center just to handle the new hirings.

A bank of phone operators will begin taking calls Monday and setting appointments for applicants to show up. They’ll be ushered to one of 100 computers in a brightly lighted room, and their names and a welcome message will appear on the screen.

An easy-to-use computer program will ask applicants to enter personal and employment information, and an interview with a job counselor will follow.