Outrage as TABs open for Good Friday
Updated
Religious groups are furious Tabcorp has decided to open for gambling on Good Friday for the first time.
The decision to allow punters to place bets at agencies and hotels comes as New South Wales authorities consider an application by big retailers to open on Easter Sunday.
David Jones, Myer and Kmart argue religion's role in society has diminished, but religious and charity groups say the days are two of the last sacred holidays left on the calendar.
The general secretary of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Father Brian Lucas, says Tabcorp's decision shows nothing is more sacred than profit for some.
"One wonders why this particular day, of all the days people are able to trade, is so significant to the traders," he said.
The head of problem gambling services at the Salvation Army, Gerard Burn, says religious holidays should be protected from trading.
"These things ought to be kept sacrosanct within our community," he said. "Once we begin to water down these days that are significant days on the Christian calendar, then we start to see gambling becomes, in a sense, the new religion."
Tabcorp says its decision was based on customer demand, adding that punters want to bet on NRL games and horse races overseas.
Managing director of wagering Robert Nason says people who want to gamble on Good Friday should have the freedom to do so.
"I think it's very important for us to meet our customer needs and provide a choice for people who wish to partake of our offering on Good Friday," he said.
"All of these decisions are commercial. We wouldn't be doing them if they weren't commercial. And we believe there is significant customer interest."
Mr Burn, says profit should not come before honouring the significance of Good Friday.
"Once we begin to water down these days that are significant days on the Christian calendar, then we start to see gambling becomes in a sense the new religion," he said.
Retail trade
Eighty retailers have meanwhile applied to the New South Wales Director General of Commerce to be allowed to trade on Easter Sunday.
The Australian Retailers Association says Tasmania and the ACT already have provisions allowing trading on those days.
Its chief executive, Margy Osmond, says many people want to shop and many staff are happy to work because of the penalty rates.
"From the point of view of shoppers, those weekend times are very important for busy families and so forth. They like that opportunity to have flexibility to go out and shop," she said.
"I think what you're seeing here is changes in NSW where many more retailers can make an application for Easter Sunday and Boxing Day and they're getting in early to try and give themselves some certainty in the year coming forward."
Unions NSW secretary Mark Lennon says members are opposed to the move.
"Shops can basically trade for 99 per cent of the year," he said. "We believe that days such as Easter Sunday are left to families to have time at home."
The Commerce Department says it will start to decide on the applications on a case-by-case basis this week.
Small shops with fewer than four staff are already allowed to open in Sydney's CBD on the restricted days.
Topics: gambling, business-economics-and-finance, company-news, community-and-society, religion-and-beliefs, christianity, states-and-territories, australia, nsw, vic
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