GOLDEN, Colorado (CNN) -- Sometimes the best way to roll with the punches is to roll the dice.



Jerry Goldsmith was one of hundreds of people who turned out this week to apply for a casino job.



That's Jerry Goldsmith's attitude. The Colorado man lost his engineering job of 29 years -- and the six-figure salary that went with it -- and is now applying for a casino job dealing craps, blackjack, roulette and poker.



"I was angry. I think everyone gets angry," says Goldsmith, 60, recalling his New Year's Day firing. "It's 'Why me?' But after a while I just learned: One door closed, but many more just opened.



"I just need to find the right one to go into."



Goldsmith was one of 750 people who showed up  Wednesday to apply for casino dealer jobs near Denver. Another 550 applied on Thursday.



The applicants were going after 90 spots in dealer school.



Earlier on Wednesday, Goldsmith had interviewed for a job as a cable TV installer. They were his first job interviews since losing his job.



He says that, at first, he spent a lot of time on the Internet looking for work. He also contacted executive headhunters but was unable to find any leads in the engineering field. So he decided to expand his search into other areas.



Goldsmith says he nailed the casino job interview and thinks he would make a great dealer.



"When you've been working hard all your life, quitting is just not an option, so I'll take on any opportunity I can," he says, adding with a laugh: "Hopefully there will be some exchange of gratuity in the business so I make something."



In a November referendum, Colorado voters approved a measure to expand betting limits at casinos in Colorado from $5 to $100 and to add the games of roulette and craps. The new rules will also allow the casinos to stay open 24 hours a day. They currently close at 2 a.m. and open at 8 a.m.



The state hopes to benefit from the increased tax dollars, a portion of which will help fund community colleges, but before the first new tax dollar goes into state coffers, the casinos need to staff up.



"Twenty-four-hour gaming adds a whole extra shift every day, seven days a week. You're adding an extra shift in every department of the casino," says Jef Bauer, who runs three casinos in Black Hawk, Colorado, for Golden Gaming: the Golden Mardi Gras, Golden Gates and Golden Gulch.



"We're looking to hire initially about 90 people into our dealer school, which we're offering free to learn how to deal craps, roulette and blackjack."



Golden Gaming currently employs about 400 people in Black Hawk and anticipates adding another 100 by July 2, when the new rules go into effect.



Black Hawk is a former mining town tucked into the Rocky Mountains about 35 miles from Denver. Black Hawk and its next-door neighbor, Central City, became casino towns in the 1990s.



For years the towns flourished, but Bauer says times are tough now.



"We have just been through 12 months of declines in gaming revenues and head counts," he says, adding that he hopes the increased bet limits, new games and extended hours will bring the gamblers back to the tables.



Before the hiring event even started, more than 100 people were lined up, waiting for an interview outside of a bar in Golden, Colorado. The would-be croupiers filed in, filled out applications and were assigned a number. They were photographed and then sat down for a 3-minute job interview.



No experience was necessary for the casino jobs. Applicants who make the grade will attend a casino-run, part-time dealer school for three months, where they will learn the complicated games and qualify for a Colorado gaming license.



The jobs pay between $40,000 and $80,000 a year, depending on tips.



So who would make
What amount will dealers make? What state will allow higher bets? What amount of money will dealers make a year? What will the hours of operation be for casinos? What is the number of workers do they need to hire to make up the difference. What are the limits on bets at the Casino.
between $40,000 and $80,000 a year, Colorado between $40,000 and $80,000 24 90 $100
question: What amount will dealers make?, answer: between $40,000 and $80,000 a year, | question: What state will allow higher bets?, answer: Colorado | question: What amount of money will dealers make a year?, answer: between $40,000 and $80,000 | question: What will the hours of operation be for casinos?, answer: 24 | question: What is the number of workers do they need to hire to make up the difference., answer: 90 | question: What are the limits on bets at the Casino., answer: $100