Salary
Average Salary: $21,810
Expected Lifetime Earnings: $910,524
Since you're going to be working with piles of money, in a business that averages the GDP of a small, proud, and green nation, some of that will be flowing your way, right? Casinos have never been more flush with cash, so it stands to reason that you'll at least be pulling triple sevens. Right?
Wrong.
The average salary for a "sports and gaming bookmaker or runner" is around $21,000 per year (source). You'd think with that many syllables you'd at least make $2,000 per month, but you can't even bet on that. That's right, the legitimate professional bookies working in a gaming establishment aren't making the kinds of cash you imagine for the number-crunchers sitting next to piles of tickets and coins.
On average, the bookie makes a little bit more than the card dealers on black jack and poker tables, and makes less than every other person working at the casino. Even the guy cranking out a blues version of "Shake It Off" on the piano is pulling down a steady $300 a night.
That's not to say there's no chance you can make a decent living. The top Vegas bookmakers and online baseball homebodies can maintain a $50,000 a year standard. The question is, are the risks worth the reward? This could be a career, or it might just be one of those side jobs that you're really passionate about, like dinner theater or personal training.