KOCHI: Over the past few months, two persons died by suicide owing to the mounting pile of debts caused by online gambling, a dangerous addiction.Experts highlight the loopholes in the Betting and Gaming Act of 1960 and the vulnerable population that falls prey to such games
29-year-old man from Thiruvananthapuram recently took his life to escape from the debts he incurred due to his addiction to online gambling. Identified as a contract labourer at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, he was found hanging in a rubber plantation near his house in Kuttichal.On enquiry, the youth’s family informed the police that he spent his time and money playing online rummy (a card game). When he ran out of money, he would borrow more from his friends, thereby running up a debt of I4 lakh. Addicted to online gambling, he suffered losses and had a massive debt, eventually leading him to take his life.
However, officials at the Neyyar Dam police station said that the case was registered under CrPC Section 174 (police to inquire and report on suicide) as the cause of the death is yet to be ascertained. “As per the statement by his family members, the youth died by suicide.
However, an investigation is ongoing and we cannot confirm anything before retrieving the details from the victim’s mobile phone. We have already approached the Cyber Cell for more information,” a police officer said.
A few months ago, another case of online gambling addiction was reported wherein Bijulal, an accountant in the Vanchiyoor treasury, swindled I2.70 crore from the treasury due to his addiction to online gambling.An impenetrable ActAs per the Betting and Gaming Act of 1960, money betting and gambling are prohibited. However, the Supreme Court has exempted skillful games from the Act.
Therefore, rummy and poker are still being played by a large number of people. Police officials also say that cases cannot be registered against gambling apps since there are no suitable laws. “Since there is no ban or rule on online gambling in our state, we cannot register cases. Even though many have lost money due to online gaming, only a few come forward to register complaints,” said T Shyamlal, DySP, Cybercrime police station, Thiruvananthapuram.
What experts say
According to an article titled ‘Should Gambling be Legalised in India’ published in the Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine in July 2019, the Public Gambling Act of 1867 restricted most forms of gambling and discriminated games of ‘pure chance’ (betting on the day-to-day price of opium or cotton, rainfall).
Till today the law regulates gambling other than on horse racing across India. As a result, online gaming in India (legal games such as online poker and rummy) has increased manifold with the rise in internet use.
A 2017 study by Dr Sanju George, senior consultant psychiatrist at Lisie Hospital, Kochi, published in the Journal of Gambling Studies, said that gambling has adversely affected less than one per cent of the population.
Preying on the vulnerable
“There are many loopholes in the Public Gambling Act as it has been differently interpreted in various states. For instance, if lotteries are considered legal in Kerala, it is banned in Tamil Nadu,” says Dr Sanju. He also added that gambling-related problems impact mostly the vulnerable which include youth and those undergoing psychological difficulties.
His study among people in the age group of 15 to 19 also revealed that around 30 per cent of the 5,000 surveyed admitted to having tried gambling. “Also, one in four students who gambled has had academic failures, suicidal tendencies and history of sexual abuse,” said the psychiatrist.
According to Dr Sheena G Soman, consultant psychiatrist, Mental Health Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, online gambling is not usually considered addictive, thereby leading people to indulge in the same. “The lockdown had led to unsupervised internet consumption among children and youth falling into the trap of online gambling,” she said.