Pokies a ‘counterfeit experience of grace’

#1144 for broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 25 October 2015

The Chair of the Australian Churches Gambling Taskforce, the Reverend Tim Costello, this week described poker machines as “a counterfeit experience of grace.” Speaking to church leaders, he said:

[poker machines] promise blessing and the favour of ‘the gods,’ but deliver a reality that destroys lives and communities … By allowing them a place in our society, we are essentially allowing the greedy to design and build machines that steal futures. It happens across all our parishes and congregations – leaving a trail of ruined marriages, bankrupt businesses, and kids who go without.

He said he longed for the churches to be at the forefront of gambling reform, “advocating for the sake of those trapped in addiction and the communities that bear the terrible costs.”

The NSW Council of Churches has campaigned hard for gambling reform, and it remains a top priority in 2015 as both the industry and the NSW government profit from people’s misery.

I’m Rod Benson for the NSW Council of Churches.