Gambling Surveillance Officers and Gambling Investigators
Also called: Surveillance Agent, Surveillance Observer, Surveillance Officer, Surveillance OperatorObserve gambling operation for irregular activities such as cheating or theft by either employees or patrons. Investigate potential threats to gambling assets such as money, chips, and gambling equipment. Act as oversight and security agent for management and customers.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 5 of its 8 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 1.8% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 5.2% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Security guards and gambling surveillance officers”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 11.1 hires for every 10 job openings in arts, entertainment, and recreation, which employs about 52% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.11.1 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $36,970 | $35,760 to $44,410 | 70 |
| Arizona | $50,010 | $44,190 to $59,390 | 380 |
| California | $44,740 | $42,110 to $47,130 | 990 |
| Colorado | $44,340 | $33,560 to $46,220 | 100 |
| Connecticut | $56,300 | $46,890 to $69,480 | 180 |
| Delaware | $38,910 | $36,390 to $43,510 | 50 |
| Florida | $39,060 | $35,830 to $44,250 | 230 |
| Idaho | $38,850 | $38,400 to $43,610 | 50 |
| Illinois | $42,760 | $36,370 to $46,230 | 330 |
| Indiana | $46,910 | $36,810 to $111,990 | 380 |
| Iowa | $35,750 | $32,730 to $40,180 | 230 |
| Kansas | $36,830 | $35,810 to $44,420 | 110 |
| Kentucky | $36,330 | $33,480 to $38,090 | 90 |
| Louisiana | $33,910 | $30,120 to $36,300 | 240 |
| Maryland | $47,950 | $35,320 to $57,890 | 120 |
| Massachusetts | $61,770 | $57,420 to $61,770 | 80 |
| Michigan | $46,620 | $41,910 to $56,460 | 330 |
| Minnesota | $44,080 | $37,770 to $45,270 | 210 |
| Mississippi | $35,360 | $29,830 to $43,720 | 240 |
| Missouri | $38,860 | $34,530 to $39,370 | 230 |
| Nevada | $46,570 | $40,650 to $57,380 | 820 |
| New Jersey | $48,620 | $43,710 to $56,520 | 270 |
| New Mexico | $36,930 | $31,200 to $47,100 | 110 |
| New York | $49,110 | $40,040 to $60,020 | 170 |
| North Dakota | $46,740 | $39,170 to $61,560 | 120 |
| Ohio | $45,880 | $36,410 to $65,480 | 190 |
| Oklahoma | $36,000 | $32,110 to $40,980 | 1,310 |
| Oregon | $50,120 | $40,560 to $59,400 | 70 |
| Pennsylvania | $38,930 | $35,600 to $54,060 | 570 |
| Puerto Rico | $22,950 | $21,840 to $25,770 | 250 |
| South Dakota | $33,820 | $29,780 to $43,860 | 80 |
| Virginia | $41,980 | $33,950 to $56,970 | not published |
| Washington | $45,740 | $39,670 to $58,960 | 470 |
| West Virginia | $35,150 | $28,840 to $35,150 | 70 |
| Wisconsin | $42,150 | $36,210 to $67,310 | 260 |
Nationally: $43,370. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 5 of its 8 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI + software | Report all violations and suspicious behaviors to supervisors, verbally or in writing. | Not published |
| AI + software | Monitor establishment activities to ensure adherence to all state gaming regulations and company policies and procedures. | Not published |
| AI + software | Develop and maintain log of surveillance observations. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Observe casino or casino hotel operations for irregular activities, such as cheating or theft by employees or patrons, using audio and video equipment and one-way mirrors. | Not published |
| Not much | Review video surveillance footage. | Not published |
| Not much | Inspect and monitor audio or video surveillance equipment to ensure it is working appropriately. | Not published |
See all 8 tasks
| AI + software | Act as oversight or security agents for management or customers. | Not published |
| AI + software | Supervise or train surveillance observers. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 1 of the 8 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 8 tasks fall under 12 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #22 Investigate individuals' background, behavior, or activities
- #33 Compile records, documentation, or other data
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investigate individuals' background, behavior, or activities | |||
| Operate audiovisual or related equipment | |||
| Compile records, documentation, or other data | |||
| Communicate with others about operational plans or activities | |||
| Inspect characteristics or conditions of materials or products | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Inspect facilities or equipment | |||
| Monitor operations to ensure compliance with regulations or standards |
Show all 12 activities
| Train others on operational or work procedures | |||
| Monitor safety or security of work areas, facilities, or properties | |||
| Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipment | |||
| Direct security or safety activities or operations |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- A document or report55%
- An analysis or summary16%
- Data or a spreadsheet7%
- Configuration or infrastructure4%
- An app or website3%
How they worked with Claude
63% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for gambling surveillance officers and gambling investigators specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 4,551 moves out
- 1 Private Detectives and Investigators High +5.5% 14%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 11%
- 3 Security Guards Moderate +0.9% 7%
- 4 Business Operations Specialists, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 5 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 6,449 moves in
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 10%
- 2 Security Guards Moderate +0.9% 9%
- 3 Private Detectives and Investigators High +5.5% 9%
- 4 Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers High +3.5% 4%
- 5 Network and Computer Systems Administrators Very high -4.1% 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 2% less than high school
- 84% high school
- 6% postsecondary certificate
- 3% some college
- 5% associate's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 31 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 7% less than high school
- 39% high school
- 28% some college
- 11% associate's
- 12% bachelor's
- 3% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Security guards and gambling surveillance officers” · 9,044 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Security guards and gambling surveillance officers”
2 programs: Casino Operations and Services, General and Security and Loss Prevention Services.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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