‘The family paid the price’: India’s deadly online gambling crisis

Nizamabad, India – When Harish began betting online, his family did not imagine that a smartphone would eventually consume their savings, land and, ultimately, their lives.The 22-year-old from Yedapally village in the Nizamabad district of India’s southern Telangana state started betting online during the COVID-19 pandemic. What began with small wagers gradually turned into heavy losses and borrowing.Police say Harish eventually spent about 1.8 million rupees (more than $21,000 in 2024) on betting and borrowed money from at least 12 people in his village.His parents tried to rescue him from the growing debt. His father, Ranganaveni Suresh, 53, was a farmer who also ran a grocery shop. His mother, Hemalatha, 45, worked alongside him. The family sold a plot of land to repay some of what Harish owed. It was not enough. As the debts mounted, Harish and his mother began working for a caterer to raise money. But the pressure continued to grow.On October 3, 2024, Harish and his parents died by suicide at their home. “We did not know how much money he had borrowed until people started coming to our house asking for their money back. By then, the situation was already out of control,” said ...