If you want a job at the Pittsburgh slot machine casino, there's going to be a whole lot more involved than a simple "You're hired."

Even for non-gaming jobs such as cooks and cocktail waitresses, employees-to-be must fill out a 24-page application, submit to a criminal background check and give fingerprints. A state-imposed $60 fee is charged.

For employees directly involved in casino gaming work, the application runs more than 40 pages, the fee jumps to $350 and the criminal background check is more extensive.

It sounds like an awful lot of work, and it's one reason Isle of Capri Casinos Inc. hosted a forum yesterday for local employment and job training agencies, without any assurance that it will win the coveted license for the Pittsburgh casino. Nearly 100 people attended the event at the Marriott City Center Hotel.

Les McMackin III, Isle of Capri senior vice president of marketing, said the advance work could pay off if the company gets the license, which could be awarded in December.

"The whole object is to hit the ground running," he said.

The fees and background checks are required in the state regulations governing Pennsylvania's fledgling gambling industry.

Gaming employees are those on the casino floor or with access to money or slot machines. They must submit to extensive background checks, said Doug Harbach, deputy director of communications for the state Gaming Control Board.

Non-gaming employees are those who don't have access to casino slot machines or money. Background checks are done by the state police and are not as extensive.

The $60 or $350 fee covers the cost of the background check, Mr. Harbach said. The good news for anyone applying is that both Isle of Capri and Harrah's Entertainment, which is teaming with Forest City Enterprises on a proposed Station Square casino, are committed to covering the cost.

Both have paid similar fees for employees in other jurisdictions, and intend to do so in Pennsylvania. It is not known whether PITG Gaming LLC, the third applicant for the Pittsburgh license, will do so, and representatives were unavailable for comment.

For Harrah's, the country's largest gambling operator, the fees, background checks and lengthy application process haven't hindered the number of people applying for casino jobs, said Jacqueline Peterson, senior corporate communications manager.

"It does take some work, but there are a lot of good folks out there who want good-paying jobs," she said.

The applications and background checks kick in once a casino has offered someone a job. Isle of Capri officials said yesterday they will assist those employees-to-be in filling out the applications and in gathering the necessary material.

"For us it's not the first time we have done this. We're well-aware in how to do it, how to educate people to get them through it, how to make it seem so it's not as onerous for them," Mr. McMackin said.

Mr. Harbach said the state Gaming Control Board is setting up a system that will allow casino operators to provide application information for employees online, helping to cut down on red tape.

Should it win the license, Isle of Capri plans to start with 2,200 employees in Pittsburgh and 3,000 slot machines. With expansion, the number of workers could climb to 3,000 or more, Isle officials said.

The totals include not only direct casino jobs but work in casino restaurants and at a possible hotel.

For most employees, salaries will go from the mid-$20,000 range to $50,000 or $60,000. Robert Boone, Isle of Capri vice president of human resources and risk management, told the audience the company's goal is for 90 percent of the Pittsburgh casino employees to be local.

Another possible hurdle for would-be employees is that anybody with a felony conviction in the last 15 years can be barred from holding a job in a casino.

However, Renee Mattei Myers, an attorney for Wolf, Block, Schorr and Solis-Cohen LLP who is working with Isle of Capri, said the ban is not absolute. She said an applicant can declare that he or she has been rehabilitated and petition the state Board of Pardons for relief.

"It's not a complete ban," she said. "There are ways around it."