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Online gambling: The inescapable death trap for many of India’s youth

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Players always win the initial few games. After a while, they become so addicted to winning that they start borrowing from others, neglect the risks involved and when they find themselves neck-deep in debt, they make the difficult decision of taking their lives.

India will soon be celebrating its 75th Independence Day. In the last 75 years, the country has taken major strides in different sectors and made its mark globally as a power to reckon with. In this, the country's youth have played a major role. By excelling in their chosen streams, they have put India on the world map and in the next few years, the demographic dividend that India enjoys at present is expected to accelerate the growth rate and make the young conquer new frontiers.

Online gambling: The inescapable death trap for many of India’s youth

Yet there is a lurking issue that threatens to undo many of the nation's achievements. It is connected to the recent spate of suicides across the country that are mainly attributed to online gambling and gaming. It was the British government that first encouraged gambling in India in order to gain through tax revenues. Now, with the current turn of events, it seems like they have left a lasting legacy.

The Future of Online Gambling in IndiaThe Future of Online Gambling in India

The headlines that appear in newspapers almost every other day are alike. A man or woman usually between the age group of 20-35 dies by suicide after losing lakhs in online gambling games like rummy. Most of the victims are educated with decent jobs and stable family backgrounds. A 20-year-old boy in Kerala died by suicide after he lost Rs 5 lakh in online rummy. A 36-year-old father in Tamil Nadu who was a bank employee murdered his two children and killed his wife due to mounting debts. A 29-year-old woman in Chennai died by suicide after she lost all her gold and her life's savings in online rummy.

Tamil Nadu alone has witnessed nearly 20 deaths in the past three years. Yet not many eyebrows have been raised despite talented youngsters falling into a death trap that has been eerily similar for everyone falling prey to it.

What perpetrated this problem was the long periods of lockdown which confined people to their homes and many turned to the virtual world to escape boredom. Online rummy and poker were not only games that kept them engaged but also helped those who had lost their livelihoods to find a source of income. With the penetration of internet in the rural areas, online gaming became even more popular. According to a KPMG report, the Indian online gaming sector is the among the fastest growing sectors eclipsing most other forms of media in terms of investments, revenue and jobs.

Despite the positives, the patterns remain the same for everyone getting ensnared into the web of online gambling. They always win the initial few games which makes them want to put in more money. After a while, they become so addicted to the habit of winning that they start borrowing from others, neglect the risks involved and, in the end, when they find themselves neck-deep in debt, they make the difficult decision of taking their lives.

Why this problem still remains hidden is because it is not easy for anyone to gauge what happens in the virtual world. In some of the cases, money kept aside by parents for the children's education or their dream homes were getting debited. It is only when the parents approached the police that they realised that the culprit is their own son or daughter.

This is how you can assure safety when gambling online in IndiaThis is how you can assure safety when gambling online in India

Hari Kumar, a psychologist said, "The magnitude of what happens when things go wrong in online gambling is difficult to understand as many don't realise that it is an addiction and help needs to be sought. There is also the shame and stigma attached to finding oneself unable to pay back the debts."

The online gambling industry has become so powerful in the country that it is almost getting impossible to put any checks and balances on them. States like Tamil Nadu, Assam, Telangana, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh have banned online gambling. The Karnataka High Court observed that the online gaming industry needs effective regulation. But many of those decisions are being reversed.

Now, the Telangana government is of the view that blanket bans may not be the solution. The High Courts of Punjab and Haryana, Rajasthan and Mumbai have already recognised fantasy sports as games of skill and a legitimate business activity protected under Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution of India. The Madras High Court struck down the Tamil Nadu government's ban on online gaming stating that it is disproportionate to its objective.

It needs to be noted that though the Gaming Act of 1960 had prohibited money betting and gambling, the Supreme Court has ruled that games that require skill and intelligence will not come within its limits. Since rummy is a game that is considered to require skill and intelligence, the companies make use of this loophole to circumvent the law.

There is no doubt that certain judgements of the courts have contributed to the online gaming industry penetrating deep into Indian society. But if India has to secure its future by protecting its youth, it will bode well to look at the recommendations of the Justice K. Chandru Committee which was constituted by Tamil Nadu to study the impact of online gaming.

The Committee has in its report recommended a ban on all online card games. It has focussed on how gambling addiction could impact human lives and in turn become a major threat at the individual, family and societal levels.

Compounding an already tense situation is a report by Statista which estimates that the online rummy market in India will hit USD 1.4 billion by 2024 due to the increasing penetration of smart phones and greater accessibility to internet.

Legalise gambling, betting in sports to help generate revenue: Law panelLegalise gambling, betting in sports to help generate revenue: Law panel

Researchers from the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) and the University of Liverpool in a study found that gambling firms in Britain derive 40 per cent of their revenue from just one per cent of players and those affected were mostly the vulnerable in society - young, elderly and the economically deprived. This holds true for India too.

The situation is turning grim and the government needs to act soon. Affordability checks and legislations should be put in place to regulate online gaming. For a country that has always been proud of its youth and its achievements, there is a lot at stake. Every life lost is an irreplaceable loss for the nation. It can be stopped only when the government and the civil society come together to take the bull by the horns. A lasting solution has to be found to give the youth the future that they truly deserve.

Lekshmi Parameswaran is a researcher and writer based in New Delhi. Her twitter profile is @lekshmip.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of OneIndia and OneIndia does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.

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