Gaming surveillance officers work at casinos and other gambling establishments, where they function as security guards. The responsibilities of a gaming surveillance officer go way beyond maintaining the order inside the casino though – apart from resolving conflicts and throwing out trouble-makers, gaming surveillance officers must also keep a watchful eye for any suspicious behavior from clients to prevent cheating. This involves discovering players who’ve paired with each other to provide themselves with an unfair advantage, and those who attempt to manipulate machines to cheat their way to victory.
Becoming a gaming surveillance officer doesn’t hold any high educational requirements, and the job is mostly similar to that of a regular security guard in terms of professional qualifications required. However, a gaming surveillance officer must be at least moderately tech-savvy, in order to be able to determine if a client is tampering with a device or just having trouble with it, as well as be familiar with the commonly used cheating techniques.
Gaming surveillance officers earn slightly more than regular security guards, with an average annual salary of between $27,000 – $43,000. As mentioned above, the job involves more responsibilities than that of a security guard, and that’s the primary reason for the higher pay rate. Additionally, sometimes gaming surveillance officers are required to work extra long hours, and it’s common for casinos to compensate them for their efforts accordingly.