There are at least a half-dozen reasons why Austin Mitchell jumped at the chance to work as a ticket writer in The Lounge with Caesars Sports.

No. 1 on the list: The young man loves sports.

“The way I see it, this is the greatest job in the world because I get to be around sports all day long,” Austin said recently. “I can’t think a better job for me at this point in my life, and I’m really grateful for the chance.”

A die-hard Dallas Cowboys fan who grew up in Verona, Austin came to Turning Stone in January 2020 after years as an overnight cashier at one of the Oneida Nation Enterprises Maple Leaf gas stations. He had no experience working in a sports book, but Austin shadowed other ticket writers and The Lounge with Caesars Sports team taught him everything he needed to know. As Turning Stone looks to hire more ticket writers, we are committed to on-the-job training for everyone.

Austin said he loves interacting with regular guests about their bets, their favorite sports, and their lives outside the casino outside the sports book.

“It’s amazing to me that our ‘regulars’ range in age from 20 to 80, and they all come together to bet on sports,” Austin said. “No matter how different their lives are, no matter what their age is, this is something they all have in common.”

So far, the largest win Austin has paid out was a multileg parlay that tallied about $6,000. When he pays a big score, he said he gets excited for the guest who hit it and likes to sit back and watch the guest’s excitement over nailing a big bet.

When he’s not behind the ticket window, Austin likes playing basketball with friends and video games such as Madden and Call of Duty.

“What can I say?” he asks jokingly. “I love games.”