Explore national salary, projected growth, education requirements, and career opportunities across the United States.
A concise view of this occupation’s national scale, compensation, and projected demand.
National median annual wage for this occupation.
Estimated jobs currently supported nationwide.
Projected employment change through 2034.
Estimated openings created each year.
The typical education, prior experience, and on-the-job training associated with entry into this career.
High school diploma or equivalent
Less than 5 years
Moderate-term on-the-job training
These are the highest-rated capabilities associated with success in this occupation. Scores are derived from occupational skill analysis and are measured on a 100-point scale.
Based on skills, knowledge, and work activities, these occupations are the closest match to your current career.
Explore the states and metropolitan areas offering the strongest combination of salary, employment, demand, and long-term opportunity.
Discover metro markets where compensation, hiring demand, and long-term momentum align.
Understand the salary, outlook, education, and geographic opportunities shaping this career.
Gambling surveillance officers and gambling investigators focus on monitoring gambling activities and environments to identify and address potential issues. This career combines observation, critical thinking, and comfort with computers and information technology. Nationally, employment stands at 10,000, with projected growth of 0.3% and about 1,000 annual openings. The national median salary is $43,900, placing this role in a moderate earning range. Strong skills in being detail oriented, problem solving and decision making, and interpersonal communication help candidates perform effectively. The career also values leadership, adaptability, and critical and analytical thinking, reflecting the need to interpret situations and respond appropriately. Fine motor skills, writing and reading abilities, and mathematics further support daily work activities. With a typical education of a high school diploma or equivalent, this path may be accessible to early-career job seekers, while still offering room to apply a varied skill set. Similar occupations include special effects artists and animators, data entry keyers, production, planning, and expediting clerks, computer network support specialists, and tax preparers.
The national median annual salary for gambling surveillance officers and gambling investigators is $43,900. Pay varies by location. Among the top states by opportunity score, Massachusetts reports a median salary of $61,770, higher than the national median. The New York state median salary of $49,110 and Washington state median of $45,740 are also above the national figure, while California at $44,740 and Colorado at $44,340 are close to it. At the metro level, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria area has a median salary of $57,890, and the New York-Newark-Jersey City metro reports $55,910. The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim and Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metros have medians of $48,070 and $47,570, respectively, while San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont shows $46,630. These differences indicate that earning potential can shift meaningfully by region, giving candidates a reason to compare both state and metro salary levels when evaluating opportunities.
Gambling surveillance officers and gambling investigators have national employment of 10,000 and a projected employment growth rate of 0.3%. There are about 1,000 annual openings, which suggests ongoing movement in the labor market through new positions and turnover. The consistent growth rate of 0.3% appears across the listed top states and metro areas, indicating a similarly modest growth pattern in those regions. Because the national employment base is relatively small, changes in hiring or attrition can have a noticeable effect on the number of available roles in specific locations. Job seekers can use the combination of projected growth and annual openings to gauge how frequently positions may become available. Those numbers, along with opportunity scores in certain states and metro areas, can help candidates decide where to focus applications and how actively to plan for lateral moves or advancement within the field over time.
Geography plays an important role in opportunities for gambling surveillance officers and gambling investigators. At the state level, California shows a median salary of $44,740, employment of 990, growth of 0.3%, and an opportunity score of 67.38. Massachusetts has the highest listed state median salary at $61,770, with employment of 80 and an opportunity score of 65.87. New York combines a median salary of $49,110 and employment of 170 with an opportunity score of 65.78. Colorado and Washington have opportunity scores of 56.97 and 56.29, with Washington employing 470 workers in this field. At the metro level, New York-Newark-Jersey City stands out with an opportunity score of 77.27 and a median salary of $55,910. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria shows a median of $57,890, while San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, and Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue cluster in the mid-to-high $40,000s. These variations show how both opportunity scores and earnings differ notably across regions.
Gambling surveillance officers and gambling investigators typically need a high school diploma or equivalent. This educational requirement can make the field accessible to individuals who are completing or have recently completed secondary education, as well as to career changers who do not plan to pursue additional degrees. Because formal education requirements are relatively limited, employers can place greater emphasis on skills. Key skills for this occupation include being detail oriented and having strength in computers and information technology, which support careful monitoring tasks. Problem solving and decision making, critical and analytical thinking, and adaptability help professionals respond to changing situations. Interpersonal skills, along with writing and reading abilities, support communication and documentation. Leadership capabilities can be valuable for overseeing processes or coordinating with others. Fine motor skills and mathematics round out the profile, indicating that both precise physical actions and comfort with numerical information can play a role in everyday work performance.
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