Oh for Shiva’s sake, shape up Gauselman!

Sharp criticism comes from Hindu community over slot game baptized ‘Shiva’.

The Hindu communities in the US and elsewhere have been appalled by the launching of the five-reels and 50 win-lines Shiva gambling machine.The slot at the centre of the outcry has been developed and marketed by the Merkur Division of Espelkamp, the German-based Gauselmann Group.

The much-debated“Shiva” slot depicts Lord Shiva, all blue and four-armed, with dark burgundy lips, holding a damru in one hand. The gambling machine, which is all over the online gambling sites in the US, also hasthe cobra, Taj Mahal, monkey symbols, all part of the hindu religion.

In the Hindu religion, Shiva means 'Auspicious Santander. In the slot, the Shiva symbol is even substituted as a wildcard and implores players to'step into the realm of the god Shiva and experience an exciting adventure'. It seems that the US gambling laws should fine game developers who would use 'symbols of any faith, larger or smaller' in such a wordly manner.

Rajan Zed, a noteable public figure and President of Universal Society of Hinduism, has called on chairman Paul Gauselmann and the Assembly General of the Gauselmann Group to give a public apology. The statesman further says the Hindu god, Lord Shiva 'was meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines' and not to used to promote gambling, seen as 'for mercantile greed'.

The Gauselmann Group, launched in 1957, which creates hi-tech casino machines and operates in Mexico, Peru and Colombia and Europe should have known better. Zed has asked for the withdrawal of the slot without further ado.