It’s not just the high rollers the casinos are catering to these days.

They’re paying extra attention to prospective employees, too.

In a bid to hire more than 300 full- and part-time workers, Foxwoods Resort Casino is offering starting pay above minimum wage and double time for overtime. After hosting a "hiring event" earlier this month, Mohegan Sun has scheduled three more, including one Wednesday, as it seeks to fill more than 100 openings.

“With more adults becoming vaccinated and COVID-19 restrictions being relaxed across Connecticut, Foxwoods Resort Casino is excited to hire new team members to support resort demand,” the Mashantucket Pequot-owned casino announced in a news release. Foxwoods has brought back more than 3,000 employees since shutting down for 11 weeks following the pandemic outbreak in March 2020 and said it is looking to hire an additional 300-plus workers to fill openings in a variety of departments, including hotel operations, food-and-beverage and security.

Foxwoods is raising starting pay for nontipped, front-line positions to at least $13.50 an hour. Connecticut’s minimum wage climbed to $12 an hour on Sept. 1, 2020, and is scheduled to increase to $13 an hour on Aug. 1, 2021.

During the months of June, July and August, Foxwoods’ hourly employees will be paid twice their hourly rate — “double time” — for hours worked beyond 40 hours in a work week. In addition, the casino is offering employees a $200 bonus for referring a job candidate who is hired and successfully completes 90 days of employment. The new employee also will receive $200. 

“As one of the largest employers in Connecticut, we’re extremely proud that Foxwoods has been an employer of choice for nearly three decades, and are thrilled to have the opportunity to welcome many new team members into our family,” Jason Guyot, Foxwoods’ president and chief executive officer, said in a statement. “We are invested in and fiercely committed to the ongoing growth of our team members, and are focused on helping people start and build long-term careers at Foxwoods.”

He said Foxwoods anticipates an influx of patrons this summer, citing “pent-up demand for entertainment.”

Mohegan Sun held its first hiring event May 6-7, attracting more than 170 candidates and hiring at least 70 of them. In its upcoming events, as in the first, it will offer a $2,000 sign-on bonus for culinary positions and a $500 bonus for housekeeping positions. The bonuses will be paid in installments.

Mohegan Sun also has openings in food-and-beverage, event support, security, marketing, VIP, accounting, hotel and retail.

The hiring events will take place from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday and June 10 in the Earth Ballroom and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, June 24, in the Cabaret Theatre in the Casino of the Sky. Applicants are asked to create an account on the Mohegan Sun career portal at mohegansun.com/careers prior to attending the hiring event. Walk-ins also are welcome.

Foxwoods noted that newly hired employees who live in Connecticut are eligible for Gov. Ned Lamont’s “Back to Work CT” incentive program. It offers the first 10,000 long-term unemployed workers in the state who find a job a $1,000 signing bonus after they’ve spent eight weeks in their new full-time position.

For more information about Foxwoods employment, visit Foxwoods.com/careers.

b.hallenbeck@theday.com