On a chilly Wednesday evening in October, the sounds filling Ambre Romero’s home were familiar: her grandchildren unloading the dishwasher, her husband, just off work, watching television. Ms. Romero was getting ready for her shift serving cocktails at the MGM Grand Detroit, the casino where she has worked since 1999. She pulled on her blue bustier top, said goodbye to her family and drove to a nearby gas station to pick up Red Bull and Lucky 13 scratch-off tickets.
Ms. Romero, who has long reddish-brown hair and a wry smile, enjoys the predictability of her nights. Her shifts revolve around the regulars, whose families, health problems and pet names she knows well.
