Officials in the State of North Carolina have destroyed almost two dozen video poker machines that they said were unlawful and were confiscated in raids.

According to media reports, members of the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday morning destroyed 20 illegal video poker machines.

The machines, also known in gambling parlance as “pokies,” were seized from businesses and homes that were housing illegal video poker operations, media reports said.

The machines were seized in raids at three different locations in Wilmington, North Carolina, USA, media reports said.

Charges for illegal gambling have been filed in those cases, media reports said.

Video poker became illegal in North Carolina in 2007.

A sheriff involved in the destruction of the illegal video poker machines said the machines were destroyed so, “they couldn’t be used by the public again.”

(E-mail Tom Somach at tomsomach@yahoo.com.)