Fined for setting up 'Bingo-for-biscuits' game

Twenty-eight UK expats and holiday-makers have been fined after police in Portugal raided a bar where a game of bingo was being played. The prizes were biscuits though...

Landlady Marianne Pittaway was fined 700 euros for hosting the game at The Yorkshire Tavern in Albufeira, on Friday night. She also received a four-month suspended prison sentence. She said she was "still in shock" and that the country's regulations were "wrong in a lot of aspects".

The 28 men and women appeared in court in Albufeira to face charges of "exploitation of illegal gambling, illegal gambling and witnessing illegal gambling", according to the police. Even some of the people in the bar who were not playing bingo at all were fined 150 euros and given a three-month suspended sentence for "witnessing illegal gambling".

Organisers of bingo in Portugal have to apply for a government licence.

Ms Pittaway, originally from York, said: "I put on the bingo for some entertainment and a bit of fun. We were only playing for some biscuits and drinks. One minute we were all playing, having a bit of fun and then we were just bundled off in three police vans and taken to the police station."

Portuguese police said the action had been carried out following "information reported by anonymous citizens". The police statement says officers found people were playing "games of luck and chance" outside an authorised place.

Seems quite excessive to me to be honest, that means I can't play poker with my friends at my house for instance?

Hmm... that is just way too harsh, assuming that they were really playing bingo for biscuits. Maybe some bitter citizen who wasn't invited called the police. :)

That's ridiculous. They weren't playing for money so what's the big deal? Some things in this world are just not fair!

That is completely nuts. It really is. The prizes were for freakin cookies and chocolate for goodness sake. And they were questioned like some serious criminal. Just shake my head at how ludicrous it is!

That's nuts!!! I think no matter where in the world you live,the police could find some REAL criminals and leave these poor folks alone!

That is beyond insane, I mean if they were really just playing for biscuits then there is no harm. Whats the world coming to when you can't even play a friendly game of Bingo?! 

Surely the punishment for a little bit of gambling fun was way too harsh, but...

Illegal gambling is serious crime in my country as well, and If I were playing a game of poker for example in a cafee with few friends, no matter wheather I was playing it for fun with no money or anything else involved, I would likely suffer the consequences in some way or I would be kicked out of cafee at best.