Editorial | Online gambling menace in Kashmir

It is certain that drug addiction is one of the most serious social issues Kashmir is confronting today. It is in your face, destructive, and more recognized by society and the government today. But there is another plague that is on the rise, much less observable but just as damaging: internet gambling. Quietly sweeping through Kashmir, this new scourge is destroying families, sending people into debt, and eroding the Valley’s social fabric. As drugs generate headlines, online gambling destroys lives in secret. It is high time we spoke about it and more importantly, acted upon it.

Online gambling is no longer confined to a select group of technology-savvy youth playing poker on dodgy apps. It has now become a common phenomenon, spreading even to towns and villages. Men especially those in their 20s and 30s are becoming addicted to a poisonous combination of cricket gambling, fantasy games, and casino-like gambling apps. These applications usually masquerade as innocent entertainment or skill games, but they’re programmed to target psychological weaknesses, having users hooked and pursuing lost money.

Kashmir’s special socio-political problems, rampant joblessness, and chronic instability have created an openness that addiction of all types quickly fills. But what is so particularly odious about online gambling is the way it cannot be seen. Unlike with drug addiction, no syringes, no stench, no visible signs. An ordinary guy sitting quietly in his bedroom on a cell phone may be ruining his family’s financial savings and nobody would ever know until it is too late.

The economic harm inflicted by online gambling is huge. Instances are becoming more common of individuals losing lakhs of rupees within weeks. Many have taken loans, mortgaged property, cars, even jewelry all for the hope of recouping what they had lost. But gambling is not an even game. The algorithms are designed to ensure that the house or rather, the app always wins in the end. What begins as a harmless pastime often turns into an uncontrollable obsession. And by the time families find out, the damage is already done.

Aside from the money, there is the psychological devastation. Shame, guilt, and depression dog many addicts. Marriages are crumbling, parents are in misery, and children are traumatized as breadwinners lose their financial stability. The addict hurts but so does everyone who has to live with him.

One of the most disconcerting elements of this crisis is the absence of legal clarity and enforcement. While on-site gambling is mostly prohibited in India, the legality of online gambling and betting applications is unclear. Several run abroad, which prevents them from being regulated. Others exploit loopholes by presenting themselves as “games of skill” instead of luck.

This absence of legal clarity provides technology platforms with a free hand to dump the market with risky apps. Ad campaign blitzes commonly using celebrities romanticize gambling as a means to an easy buck or to showcase smartness. The youth, already easily vulnerable through frustration with economic progress, are lured into the trap. Kashmir, with its large youth population and limited recreational avenues, has proven to be an ideal breeding ground for these platforms to operate in.

While drug addiction awareness campaigns have intensified in recent years, there is disturbing silence regarding gambling online. This has to end. The government cannot wait until gambling destines families on a similar magnitude as narcotics have. Prevention has to be initiated now.

The authorities must start with cracking down on offshore betting and gambling apps, prohibiting misleading advertisements, and so on. Digital literacy campaigns have to be conducted, particularly in colleges and rural pockets, explaining the risks of online gambling. The voice of schools and religious leaders should be heard. Families need to be persuaded to discuss the issue openly, for shame and secrecy only worsen the malady.

We require counseling facilities and rehabilitation services for gambling addicts as well. Currently, there is hardly any institutional assistance for people caught in this addiction. We require de-addiction centers to broaden their activities beyond narcotics and incorporate behavioral addictions such as gambling as well.

Kashmiri media has played a big role in bringing out many social issues but it has all but under-reported this one. That should stop. Each paper, each news station, and each online portal should start covering not only individual cases, but the wider trend. There are hundreds possibly thousands of untold tales of individuals losing everything to internet gaming, but the silence continues. A handful of interviews and human-interest pieces would shake public awareness. Awareness is the beginning of change.

Other states such as Tamil Nadu and Telangana have already put their legislative foot down by prohibiting online gambling apps. The central government has even started consulting with lawyers to issue guidelines. Jammu and Kashmir should not delay. Legislation has to be written or modified to expressly prohibit and penalize online gambling. Enforcement has to follow. Telecom and IT departments have to be given the authority to block offending apps and websites.

This is not only about law it’s about safeguarding society’s future. Online gambling, if left alone, could be a crisis as bad as drug addiction within the next five years. But with drug abuse, there are symptoms to watch out for with online gambling, they are less visible so the reaction has to be swifter and more proactive.

Kashmir cannot spare another epidemic silent or otherwise. The twin vices of narcotics and internet gambling are consuming our youth, our families, and our future. Whereas drug abuse is rightly being addressed as a public health emergency, internet gambling is being neglected at our own cost.

Let there be no confusion: the longer we stay quiet, the more families will collapse. The more lives will be destroyed. The more hope will be lost.

It is time we label this what it is a social crisis and act now. The silence on online gambling ends today. The Valley has been hurt long enough. Let us not let another silent killer tear it apart some more.