The raid commenced after numerous complaints were received of people playing on sweepstakes and gambling machines within the past two to three weeks.

The establishment, located on Old Highway Road in the former Garysburg Town Hall building, was issued an order last June to cease operations and briefly complied but reopened, Swain said.

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Neither Swain or Garysburg Police Chief Melvin Garner could give a precise timeline of when the establishment reopened and the business's owner, Andrea Hobbs, declined comment.

“When we hit the place in Rich Square this was running wide open,” Swain said.

Some 20 people or more were inside playing when the raid commenced.

Garner said the police department investigated an armed robbery at the establishment in 2013.

Swain said the bane of the establishments is there is no authority over the type of games and no regulations to determine the odds or whether the players have a fair chance.

In the 23 counties of which Swain and his agents are in charge there have been shootings, homicides and stabbings. “There's a lot of money, cash, which attracts criminal activity. Some say it's victimless. A lot of people put hundreds of dollars in the machines,” money he said which could have been put aside for bills or to buy food. “We have received complaints relatives have spent every bit of their Social Security. We've seen where every bit of college tuition was spent.”

Garner said he was appreciative of ALE's help in the investigation. “We're all working together.”