Celebrating Day-One Team Member Karen Knight

During the month of July, each week leading up to our 35th Anniversary, we will feature one of our day-one team members. Today, we celebrate the 35-year career of?Karen Knight, Table Games Floor Supervisor:

Karen Knight had never gambled a day in her life, but that didn’t stop her from applying to work at a bingo hall. In the summer of 1986, a friend encouraged Karen to apply for one of the many job openings at San Manuel Band of Mission Indian’s new bingo hall. After learning that the Tribe would teach her everything she would need to know to be successful, Karen asked herself, “why not?” and was hired the same day she applied.

“I started out as a Pull-Tabber. I walked the bingo hall selling cards to guests for fifty cents or a dollar. Guests could win $250 or $500 dollars,” she said.

Pull tabs are similar to lottery tickets and have two layers with die-cut windows which, when pulled, snap open to reveal pictures similar to graphics seen on electronic slot machine screens. The tabs brought additional excitement and fun to bingo players and provided more chances to win.

Karen held this position for eight years, working in the bingo hall at night and maintaining a part-time job during the day. She later learned that the Tribe planned to open a casino that would offer poker and she was encouraged to apply for an opening there. Karen says at first she was hesitant to apply as she had never played the game, but with the support of her friends and colleagues, she decided to go for it.

Karen worked in the poker room for 26 years until it closed, after which she decided to attend dealer school, a five-week course where she learned approximately 10 games. She’s been a Table Games Floor Supervisor for just over two years and enjoys offering a “best-in-class” experience to guests.

“I enjoy making their experience at San Manuel the best so that they come back and they have a good time. It’s almost like we’re their friends. Guests come in to have a good time but they also converse with us. It’s like seeing an old friend every time you come in,” she said.

Speaking of friends, the relationships Karen has built at San Manuel have made a big impact on her life. In the past year, Karen’s husband and mother passed away months apart, and her friends have been a huge support.

“Friends make a big part of your life, I think that’s what makes life worth living,” she said. “I’ve been going through a lot so it’s been nice having friends and people to talk to. People at work have been very nice about it.”

A fun memory from her time at San Manuel that has stuck with Karen was seeing a silver tray piled high with a guest’s $250,000 cash prize.

“It was just amazing to see that. It was like being at the king’s court and they bring out all this stuff for you because you’re the king for the day. It was really cool.”

As the casino continues to expand, Karen says she looks forward to another 10 to 15 years working for San Manuel and making more fun memories. The excitement in her voice is palpable as she talks about witnessing the growth from a small bingo hall to the current casino and the expansion and hotel to come.

In reflecting on her career at San Manuel, Karen says the time has flown by.

“When I first started, I didn’t even know if I was going to like the work because I didn’t gamble and I didn’t know what it was about, but I’ve really enjoyed all the people I’ve worked with in each department and it’s been fun for me. It doesn’t even feel like 35 years. The time flies by but I’m having a good time,” she said.