The 46 metre tall inflatable was released into the skies of Melbourne Tuesday morning, with the slogan "#KEEP THE FAITH" written across the Socceroos jersey worn by the iconic statue, a stunt that Reverend Tim Costello has called 'extraordinary arrogance and hubris'.
"This is extraordinary, if they knew anything about Jesus they'd know he'd be overturning tables in the gaming halls, because they're highly addictive and destroy lives," the Chair of Australian Churches Gambling Taskforce told ABC.
"Is betting to absolutely dominate not just casino and gamble areas and TV rooms, but now literally the sky?" he asked.
Rev Costello has since called on the Football Federation Australia (FFA) to call out the controversial campaign.
"One of the great statues in Rio is Jesus, and Brazil is a Catholic nation that takes its faith seriously and its football fanatically," he said.
A Sportsbet spokesman has defended the marketing stunt, explaining that the reference to faith was about rallying support for the Socceroos, who are seen as the underdogs of the tournament.
"It's not actually about having a bet; it's about rallying the troops behind the Socceroos," he said.
"It's a balloon replica of a famous statue that is used extensively to promote the World Cup. You can't turn on the TV promotion without them showing the Christ the Redeemer all the time.
"All we've done is bring it to Australia and give it a Socceroos flavour."
The World Cup kicks off this Thursday with the first match between Brazil and Croatia. The match begins Friday 6 a.m. AEST.