RALEIGH, N.C. – Local law enforcement acknowledges that sweepstakes parlors have become targets for violent crimes. Investigators attribute this to the large amounts of cash these establishments keep on hand and their late-night hours.
Despite this, it is estimated that there are over a hundred such parlors in Wake County, with the number continuing to grow.
These establishments go by various names—sweepstakes parlors, internet cafes, or business centers.
Cumberland County, Burlington, and Greensboro have all banned them.
“We’re in the casino on Avent Ferry Road by the DMV, and we got a robbery… Two guys came in here with masks on and were shooting. Everybody alright, y’all?” a 911 call from a sweepstakes robbery on March 17th reported.
We reached out to the Raleigh Police Department and the state authorities, seeking a specific list of sweepstakes parlors in the city. It turns out they don’t maintain a record of these establishments, as they are not required to be licensed.
We requested calls for service for the past six months for 11 of these businesses. Each had dozens of calls ranging from break-ins to disturbances and assaults.
“For years we’ve heard that sheriffs are receiving complaints from their law-abiding citizens and family members,” said Eddie Caldwell, Executive Vice President and General Counsel for the NC Sheriffs’ Association.
However, cracking down on these establishments is more challenging than it seems.
“If it’s a pay-to-play game where you’re wagering credits, betting on several hands, and there’s an element of chance involved, and they’re paying out cash for credits won, then it would be an unlawful gaming operation,” said Chris Poole, head of the state’s ALE Gaming Unit.
He explained that games of chance are illegal and businesses often try to skirt the law by claiming there’s a skill component involved.
“Adding a component of skill to a game of chance does not make it legal in North Carolina,” Poole said.
“They have to go undercover, play the machines, and be equipped to video what the machines are doing because the DA needs that to prosecute the case,” Caldwell added.
This process requires time and resources. At the state level, Poole only has four agents.
“There’s no regulation on any of these sweepstakes parlors or gaming locations,” Poole noted.
The manager of the Arcade, a sweepstakes parlor off Spring Forest Road, agreed to speak with us if we did not identify him.
“People might say you’re taking advantage of others with no real oversight over these places,” our reporter Amy Cutler asked. “Would you say that about a car dealership too?” he responded.
“The types of games played in these parlors are constantly evolving, and the potential earnings from the sweepstakes industry and these gaming companies are such that they are always creating new and different games. What we might find illegal today could be entirely different tomorrow,” Freeman explained.
Freeman stated that if they have an investigation that they believe will stand up in court, they will pursue it.
In the meantime, local law enforcement’s focus remains on preventing violent crimes around sweepstakes parlors rather than shutting the businesses down.
