Prison sentence for playing bingo

josip

http://www.rte.ie/news/2013/0625/458767-portugal-bingo/


A number of Irish and British tourists have been fined and given suspended prison sentences in Portugal after they were caught playing bingo for prizes.
The 28 holidaymakers were found to be in breach of the country's strict laws against gambling, despite prizes of nothing more than biscuits and drinks on offer.
The owners of the bar in Albufeira where the game took place were given similar sentences.
The Sun newspaper reported that two plain-clothed police officers infiltrated the bingo-playing group after staking out the pub for weeks.
They waited until the prizes were handed out before carrying out the arrests.
A number of people who were not playing bingo were arrested for "observing a crime".


I wouldn't have thought the Portugese took themselves so seriously. It doesn't seem to be the kind of headline the tourist industry over there would appreciate.

CardBordWindow

They left out the most important detail though.
What type of biscuits were they? Were they the jam filled ones?

Fart

This... is actually hilarious!

two plain-clothed police officers infiltrated the bingo-playing group after staking out the pub for weeks :pac:

CardBordWindow wrote: »

They left out the most important detail though.
What type of biscuits were they? Were they the jam filled ones?

Garibaldi's, I presume.

Guill

28 sent to prison in one go? Would they not end up with a Full House??




Gets coat...

lintdrummer

CardBordWindow wrote: »

They left out the most important detail though.
What type of biscuits were they? Were they the jam filled ones?

Tin of USA biscuits, the only prize worth a suspended sentence.

Iano_128

Guill wrote: »

28 sent to prison in one go? Would they not end up with a Full House??




Gets coat...

Best "worst" joke of the day award goes to Guill!

JOSman

Hold on a second, these were hardened pensioners on a crime spree!!!!:P

Somebody could have lost their lives with these biscuits....

mikom

Fart wrote: »

This... is actually hilarious!

two plain-clothed police officers infiltrated the bingo-playing group after staking out the pub for weeks :pac:

Been done.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3beg6JLrPr8

gramar

2 and 8 in a state (prison)

28 people in prison over this is hard to believe. For a country so hard up for cash it won't do their tourist industry any favours and sending people to prison isn't cost free.

wobbles-grogan

Serves them right for playing bingo!

jimmycrackcorm

From the police force that's looking for Madeline McCann...

mikom

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

From the police force that's looking for Madeline McCann...

Maddies eye............. No. 1

Vicar in a tutu

That'll teach em, Bingo's an awful game.

kraggy

From the country that has decriminalised drugs?

Strange to be so liberal about one thing and strict on another. (Not saying they were wrong to decriminalise drugs. It's been a success by all accounts).

Tigger

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

From the police force that's looking for Madeline McCann...

you blame the Portuguese cops for Maddie?

SpaceTime

Banging up tourists for playing games for biscuits = death of tourism industry.

We should really issue a travel advisory from the Department of Foreign Affairs and the UK Foreign Office as that law is not at all obvious.

Marsden

josip wrote: »

A number of people who were not playing bingo were arrested for "observing a crime".

Observing a crime is a crime?

SpaceTime

http://www.itv.com/news/2013-06-26/landlady-fined-for-organising-a-game-of-bingo-with-biscuits-and-drinks-in-portugal/

The guy on the second video explains the fact that he was questioned for 4 hours for *BEING IN THE BAR*

Another woman who had just walked into the bar for a drink : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-23054399

No way I'm visiting a country where you can get arrested for 'observing a crime'. Nuts!

Allyall

Marsden wrote: »

Observing a crime is a crime?

So how did the Cops know what was going on so they could arrest them?

They guessed?

NothingMan

josip wrote: »

two plain-clothed police officers infiltrated the bingo-playing group after staking out the pub for weeks.

If observing a crime is a crime then the police need to arrest themselves. :pac:

Marsden

NothingMan wrote: »

If observing a crime is a crime then the police need to arrest themselves. :pac:

Arresting oneself is also a crime so there between a rock and a hard place.

feargale

Bingoed up abroad

MadsL

Well give all drugs are legal in Portugal, what else are you supposed to do with the Drug Squad.

AGAINST THE WALL MOTHERF*CKRS!!!!!

P_1

Surely a case of wasted resources if ever there was one I would have thought...

Temptamperu

Its about time all this scum is of the streets.

Seachmall

I was in Portugal 5 years ago on a family holiday. The second night myself and the family were playing Hold 'em for matchsticks in the bar. About an hour in I'd Ace King suited and shoved all in. While I was waiting for my mother to decide her move (everyone else had folded) we heard this awful crashing sound followed by a deafening bang and a blinding white flash, I'd only recovered from the shock when I heard what sounded like fireworks going off and saw my mother slumped over the table. I still remember her stale eyes piercing my soul as she tried to gargle something to me through the blood.

It was only in the court room the following week when we were being charged did the prosecutor mention she had pocket Aces.

Bitch slow rolled me. I'll never forgive her for that.

smallerthanyou

feargale wrote: »

Bingoed up abroad

Took you four months to come up with that one??

Prodgey

smallerthanyou wrote: »

Took you four months to come up with that one??

Well worth it, I cracked up

Lapin

Portuguese gambling laws are so fúcked up they even arrest the losers of Russian Roulette.




Actually, I made that up, but after reading the OP it wouldn't surprise me.