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Dont Play Bingo in Portugal

Oh dear, Portugal's done it again.

I really do despair of this place. All over the European newspapers and television channels is the latest idiocy from this hopeless country. We have pictures of tourists being raided in a bingo hall of all places, and fined for playing housey-housey. Honestly, you cant make this up.

These places need licenses apparently, and this place didn't have one. Most dont of course, but is a tourist on a two week stay (or less) going to know which establishment has a license and which ones dont? Of course not. So why fine the tourist? To get a few more shekels into the state coffers of course, but this means considerably less shekels in the long run as Fred and Ethel are going to go back home outraged that their spending money has been stolen by the state. Now they cant spend that money in the local establishments. Now they will go home and spread the news that Portugal is a rip-off place, and they will warn their friends and neighbours not to go there. Those friends and neighbours will then tell their friends, and so the word will spread that Portugal is a place to avoid.

How much more depressing can this place get? I think the answer to that question is that it can and will continue to get worse. I've got to the stage where I simply dont want to write about Portugal any more. The climate may be nice, the spring is definitely worth coming for, but not when you have all the other grievances to put up with. There are over 200 countries on the planet. One doesn't have to put up with this.

On the other hand, if you are a crook then Portugal is the place to be. The more blatant your skullduggery and the more money you can illegally get hold of the less likely you are to be prosecuted.

Data provided by the Attorney General's Office shows that in 2012 there were 2,270 suspicious transactions notified to the authorities of which 51 ended in court, just 2.2% of the total. Of those complaints, 410 were shelved and the remaining were ‘looked at.’

So if you are into dodgy money transactions Portugal is the place to be. Soon the country will be known as a haven for financial crime rather than as a golfing holiday destination.

WARNING: If you are approached by any company offering you any kind of financial deal, it that company has anything to do with Portugal do not under any circumstances do business.

john


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