CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Sweepstakes gaming parlors have been a legal gray area in North Carolina for years.
This week Charlotte-Mecklenburg police started enforcing a state ban to shut them down and raided three businesses.
Queens Gold on South Tryon had a sign up Wednesday stating it will reopen Thursday with all new games, after being raided last week.
Police have called them havens for crime and illegal gambling operations, and state lawmakers passed a law banning machines.
Just last year, the state Supreme Court upheld that law, so police could start shutting them down.
"I think they should be taxed a lot. I think that profit is pure profit," said Montana resident Eric Szemes.
"It's another lottery, really, it's just another way to get money," said resident Christine Caywood.
Two state representatives, Jeff Collins from Nash and Michael Wray from Northampton, filed a bill to make the machines legal again and tax them heavily.
Parlors would pay $2,000 to stay open and an extra thousand for each machine along with 4 percent of sales going to the state.
The representatives received generous campaign donations from known sweepstakes operators.
Bill would legalize, heavily tax sweepstakes machines
This browser does not support the video element.