Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police served search warrants at two so-called “fish table” gambling arcades on Friday and shut down operations at two Pluto's Arcade locations: one at 6233 Old Sugar Creek Road and 5744 North Tryon Street.
You can find “fish game” arcades across the city. But they aren’t exactly a legal gambling practice, law enforcement says. Even though the games are considered “games of skill” by their operators — which would make them legal — law enforcement in North Carolina has a different perspective.
Controversy around fish table establishments pops up semi-regularly in the Charlotte area, with periodic law enforcement raids that shut down some of the dozens of such establishments. In February 2022, the state Supreme Court said even if the games have some skill, they can still be deemed illegal, prompting CMPD to send warning letters to about 100 such businesses in Charlotte, stating that they could be breaking the law.
When WFAE spoke to arcade operators in January, many of them claimed the games are legal because they take skill to win. Gambling on true games of chance in North Carolina is only legal through the lottery or in designated casinos on Native American land.
At the two arcades raided last week, CMPD said detectives seized $95,000 and shut down 170 gambling machines. CMPD also charged two security guards for providing armed security without a license. Also during the search, two misdemeanor warrants were served that were unrelated to the illegal gambling.
The investigation is ongoing, and police say more charges are pending.
Another very successful operation targeting illegal gambling! On Friday, Feb. 10, #CMPD teamed up with state and federal officials to serve search warrants at two sweepstakes arcades. See the full release here: https://t.co/C2X856cXhO pic.twitter.com/6kFd7NHcrc
— CMPD News (@CMPD) February 13, 2023
