Five people were arrested after a three-month investigation into alleged illegal gambling, narcotics activity and weapons violations at Golden 5 Sweepstakes Parlor in Raleigh, authorities said. The Aug. 28 search-warrant operation seized about $181,000, three illegally possessed firearms and 29 motherboards from illegal video-gambling machines.
Raleigh police and the North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement Division began investigating the business at 3132 Calvary Drive in June. The agencies said five people faced a combined six felony charges and 20 misdemeanours.
The investigation involved Raleigh police’s North Flex Unit, ALE and the department’s Technical Assistance Response Unit. Undercover operations documented payouts from video poker machines, and investigators determined that illegal video gambling was occurring at the parlor.
The inquiry followed an analysis showing more than 280 police responses to the business between June 2025 and June 2026. Those calls included disturbances, assaults, drug violations, stabbings, robberies, weapons violations and assaults involving law-enforcement officers. The News & Observer reported that many of the calls concerned violent offences, and that police had not identified the people involved in the operation.
Investigators executed three warrants on Aug. 28: one at Golden 5 and two at locations associated with the business. A separate broader narcotics investigation surrounding the business resulted in 17 arrests, 47 felony charges, eight misdemeanours and the recovery of six illegally possessed firearms.
Authorities said Golden 5 was being evicted with the cooperation of the property owners; WRAL reported that it is no longer operating.
North Carolina law separately prohibits conducting or promoting a sweepstakes through an “entertaining display,” a definition that includes video poker and other chance-based video games used to reveal sweepstakes prizes. Each violation is a separate offence under G.S. 14-306.4, with repeat violations capable of becoming felonies.
Raleigh police and ALE said they would continue to work together on illegal gambling, drug trafficking, weapons violations and other criminal activity affecting residents’ safety and quality of life.
