It pays to find out what is and isn’t illegal in the country you’re holidaying in, it seems.  Certainly, if you are a bingo fan, it might be a good idea to steer clear of Turkey as a destination of choice. Within this last year six UK citizens were arrested at the Pyramid Bar in Altinkum, Western Turkey. Their crime? They were playing a game of bingo.

The special bingo evening had been organised as a charity event in aid of Mrs Ruby Myrescough, a British expat who has lived in the area for many years, and was recently diagnosed with cancer. She now faces long, painful and expensive chemotherapy treatment that she can ill afford. Her friends organised the event to raise money to help out with her mounting medical expenses.

But it was not to be. During the evenings proceedings, undercover policemen raided the Pyramid Bar claiming that the event constituted illegal unregulated gambling. In the ensuing chaos, 15 British patrons were arrested and carted away in vans.

Speaking to the Daily Mail about traumatic incident, one of the British expats explained that she thought the arrival of the police was a joke, intended as part of the evening’s entertainment. She only realised the gravity of what was happening when the police began asking for her passport.

After being called to the local police station for questioning, nine of those arrested were released without any charge. The remaining six British citizens were each fined the equivalent of £55 for taking part in the illegal activity.

As you can imagine, the event was extremely fine for everyone present on the day. You hardly expect to be arrested for taking part in a charity fundraiser, but the local chief of police insists that he had received several complaints that the bar was allowing illegal gambling on its premises, reiterating that bingo was considered against the law in Turkey.

As a result of the arrests, it is likely that the owners of the Pyramid Bar will be on the receiving end of a closure order as punishment for hosting the event.

It just goes to show how careful you need to be when holidaying on the continent. It is much safer to get your bingo fix playing online bingo.

Related posts:

1. You Can’t Slot Me Now
2. Charity Bingo By JackpotCity
3. Is your star sign lucky for playing bingo?
4. Philippines May Prohibit Online Gambling

Tags: bingo game, online bingo