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Aussie Slot Opponents Speak Out

Religious leaders in the Australian state of Victoria are not thrilled about the proliferation of online slot machines in their country. A multi-denominational committee of church representatives spoke out before the state Senate last week, urging the government to intervene on the issue of internet slot games, which national parlance refers to as “pokies.” The Diocese Melbourne’s Social Responsibilities Committee (SRC) teamed up with Anglicare Victoria to condemn what they call the “harm and dysfunction” that is being perpetuated against the state’s most vulnerable citizens, thanks to the tremendous appeal of online fruit machines.

Testimony given on September 11th by the coalition attempted to persuade state officials to consider the significant social implications of the massively-popular online slot machines that have been cropping up on the World Wide Web and attracting Australians to play. Until now, the Victorian government’s view has been that these online gambling attractions are a type of “healthy family recreation,” and adopt a stricter view. The real truth, argued the faith leaders, is that Australians are developing gambling addictions and blowing their rent and grocery funds on such nuisances as internet slots. The state’s permissive attitude is to blame, and must be reversed, they argued.

Part of Victoria’s budget currently relies on the taxes gleaned from slot machines both land-based and on the internet. The faith leaders groused that this was a “morally unjustifiable” state of affairs, and warned officials that their condoning of these controversial devices could ultimately lead to “long-term damage.” According to those who spoke, state social service agencies have been experiencing first-hand what the ravages of gambling can lead to.

Back to September 2008 Archive.