One of my favorite activities that my friends and I started was playing card games. We play cards almost every time we hang out; it was especially fun when we would play while watching a World Cup match in our kitchens.

Then there was the first Portugal group stage game, and we did not want to stay in, so we decided to go out and watch it. The timing for the game was a little awkward, as it was 6:00 pm and some people were just getting back from their internships at that time. I did not have to go in that day, so my friend and I volunteered to save seats for everyone by going a couple of hours early. After sitting there for 30 minutes, with an hour and a half left until the game started, I realized that I had playing cards in my purse. So I asked if she wanted to play cards, and she said yes. After we shuffled and started playing Slap Jack, we were told to put our cards away. We were so confused and thought we were being too loud, so my friend went up to the waiter and asked why we had to put them away. He then told us that a lot of restaurants in Portugal ban playing cards because of gambling. Since the establishment does not want to get in trouble if someone playing cards is gambling, they do not allow anyone to play. We did not know that beforehand and were grateful that the waiter took the time to explain that to us.

Interestingly, a couple of weeks later we made a weekend trip to Spain, where it was perfectly fine to play cards in an establishment. This could have been okay in Spain because the Cafe we were in was more lenient. After a quick Google search, the same results pop up about public gambling in both Spain and Portugal, but our experiences were different in both countries. In comparison to the United States, I feel like it is very different because some places have cards or games at the cafe or restaurant for people to play. In Europe, people are more so talking to one another or enjoying the environment.