by Mario Alfonsi | Published on Mar 2, 2012 | Updated on Mar 2, 2012If you play in an illegal poker game, you know that getting busted by the police is just one of the dangers that come with the territory. But for a group of elderly women who were playing for fun and a few euros, seeing the police break up their weekly game came as a total surprise.The bust occurred in the coastal town of Limassol in Cyprus. Back in November 2009, about 40 elderly women were meeting in a private home for a weekly social gathering. During the four hour session, the women played poker and bridge games while eating sandwiches and desserts. While the women admit that gambling went on during this meeting, they say that the sums were small.But that didn’t stop the police from breaking up the game – much to the confusion of the women themselves. Some women were reportedly (and understandably) frightened by the raid, while others were certain that the police must have been there for something other than their friendly games.But the story didn’t end with the raid itself. Over the next two years, many of the women forgot all about the incident, as Cyprus never made any effort to prosecute the group. However, that changed this week as the women who were booked on the afternoon of the raid received summons, asking them to appear in court to potentially face gambling charges.Most of the women reportedly found the summons amusing – not only for the lengthy delay after the raid, but also because of some of the events that had transpired between then and now. Two of the women have passed away, while two more are in nursing homes. Most of the women were in their 70s or older (one is now 98), so many of them are reluctant to travel to court.If convicted, the women could receive up to six months in jail or a fine of up to €750. However, prosecutors have said that the summons was only procedural, and that the state may yet decide not to press charges against the group.
