Expats and visiting holidaymakers were left stunned when the Guardia Civil launched a full-scale raid on Camping San Javier last Friday and ordered them to stop playing bingo.
Agents, who were accompanied on their late night swoop by Inspectors from the Regional Tax Agency, told more than 100 people, most of them tourists from the UK, that playing Bingo was illegal and seized all the prize money and the equipment.
It was half past ten at night when two inspectors from the Regional Tax Agency (ATRM), accompanied by agents from the Civil Guard, stormed the San Javier Camping facilities, located on la avenida Balsicas in the Marmenorense municipality, as an allegedly irregular game of bingo was being held.
Among the hundred or so people, many of them foreigners, who attended the bingo session on the private holiday site, there were a number of families with their children. Inspectors closed down the activity claiming that the necessary official documentation wasn’t in place.
In total, six people who were involved in the organisation of the bingo session, were identified, along with the person in charge, as well as four parents who took part while accompanied by their children. The inspectors sealed the bingo machine along with the tickets, which were being sold for 50 cents each, or 3 for a euro, the money and the prizes.
It is understood that Camping San Javier could now face an administrative fine in excess of 3,000 euros.
However the company that owns the site, says that that they have total “peace of mind” because they have all of the necessary permits to hold all kinds of leisure activities such as the one that was being played. They also deny that there were minors playing bingo, while they insist that they will not make any assessment on the performance of the Regional Tax Agency.
