Poker Writer
Charlotte Police seized close to $40,000 and 62 gambling devices out of an illegal arcade game center in East Charlotte.
Authorities conducted undercover operations at the location for several months, beginning in November 2025. They determined they had enough evidence and information to conduct the raid at the arcade on East Independence Boulevard.
The center, known as “999 Arcade,” primarily had “fish game” machines. According to the warrant:
While inside 999 Arcade, undercover law enforcement personnel observed five 10-person table-top ‘Fish’ gambling devices, approximately 20 slot machines, and three four-person stand-up ‘Fish’ gambling devices.
The police also arrested six people in connection with the arcade and took two illegal firearms.
Lasting Remnant of the Once Plentiful Fish Game Arcades
Fish games have long been a popular style of gambling game in Charlotte and in North Carolina as a whole. Players shoot at fish swimming across the screen, attempting to hit them in order to win money. The more hits a player makes, the more money they can win.
At one time, arcades were quite common around Charlotte, operating in a gray area between skill games and pure chance, since players had to do something skillful to win money rather than rely solely on chance. They started to crop up around 2017 as they challenged North Carolina’s long-standing ban on gambling. As many as 100 were estimated to be in the Charlotte area a few years ago.
In 2022, the state Supreme Court ruled that fish game arcades were illegal, and locations throughout Charlotte began shutting down rapidly. Police made routine raids all throughout the three-year period from 2022 to 2024.
Are Fish Game Arcades Really Gone in NC?
But some still persist underground, as seen at 999 Arcade, which was still fully operating in 2026. It is unlikely that 999 Arcade is the last fish game arcade in Charlotte or in the state. As one Reddit thread suggests, many are still operating throughout the state, particularly in the Raleigh area.
One comment even says that the arcades are multiplying rather than reducing. The fish game centers that persist in N.C. often have dark windows, neon signs, and vague branding. Some of them offer perks like free donuts and coffee to draw people in and even offer a few free games to get a player started.
Similar types of games known as “tap-tap” casinos or “slap houses” are popular in California and, like fish game arcades, operate under murky conditions that are technically illegal but lightly enforced.
