Washington State Gambling Commission - Special Agents

Special Agents are duly sworn law enforcement officers. Although they are exempt from civil service, they have many of the same benefits as general service employees, including a generous insurance and leave package. They also belong to PSERS, a new Public Safety Employees Retirement System.

Most Special Agents are required to attend the Washington State Criminal Justice Basic Law Enforcement Academy.

Special Agents are in the following divisions:

Field Operations – Field agents are assigned to one of our three regional offices in Everett, Spokane, and Tacoma. They conduct regulatory compliance inspections, criminal investigations, and may work undercover. Some agents in this division collect and analyze criminal intelligence information.

Licensing Operations (Financial Investigations Unit) – Agents in this division work at our Headquarters in Lacey and are not required to attend the Basic Law Enforcement Academy. They perform pre-licensing investigations on entities ranging from nonprofit organizations to small “mom and pop” taverns to large multimillion dollar corporations. They are trained to “follow the money,” investigating to detect hidden ownership and determine funds sources or undisclosed associations.

Tribal & Technical Gambling – These agents are based throughout the state and partner with Tribal representatives, ensuring casino style gambling is in compliance with the agreement negotiated between the state and Tribe.

More information can be found here.