Hyderabad: 

Take the case of Prashanth. A casual scroll through Facebook landed him on a betting app promoted by his favourite actor. Encouraged by a friend, he signed up for online cricket games despite not knowing anything about it.

Lured by glamorous ads, film celebrity endorsements and fabricated success stories on social media, many youths are falling prey to the deadly trap of online betting. Despite being banned by the Telangana Gaming Act, 2017 the e-betting menace is spreading fast as it claimed 24 lives in the last 1.5 years across the state.

Initially betting with small amounts, Prashanth was soon attracted by the flashy percentages and ratios. Greedy for bigger wins, he went neck-deep into debt. One night, he lost lakhs and couldn't recover. Unable to cope with mounting debts and stress, Prashanth took his own life, yet another victim of the betting demon.

Sadly, his case isn't isolated as there are multiple instances of youths taking drastic steps. Harish from Nizamabad borrowed Rs 30 lakh after getting hooked on betting and later died by suicide, dragging his family into the tragedy. Rajeshwari from Choutuppal, Nitin from Nalgonda, Sai Kiran from Rangareddy, Alisetty Sai from Adilabad and Uday Bhaskar from Warangal met with the same fate.

Betting Toll Rises:

In the last 18 months alone, 24 people have ended their lives across Telangana, falling victim to online betting. With the IPL fever gripping the nation again, fears of the "betting pandemic" getting worse have resurfaced. Families are pleading with the government for strict monitoring to prevent further tragedies.

Celebrities, Influencers Face Heat:

Cases have been filed against 25 filmstars including Rana and Vijay Deverakonda at Miyapur Police Station for promoting betting apps and 11 YouTube influencers have been booked at Panjagutta police station.

Fraudulent promotion by celebrities and influencers has exacerbated the situation. Some film stars and YouTubers are promoting these apps without worrying about the consequences. So far, 357 illegal betting websites have been blocked by GST Intelligence, 2,400 bank accounts and 166 mule accounts have been seized. TGCSB blocked 108 betting sites and sent notices to 133 platforms.

Government Measures:

The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) is on high alert, especially after the start of the IPL season. Using geofencing technology, it is monitoring access to illegal betting websites. In a crucial meeting on January 29, TGCSB officials reviewed the situation with the All India Gaming Federation (AIGF), Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS), telecom service providers and DoT officials.

They warned of strict action against platforms violating local laws, KYC norms or geofencing. Despite this, betting apps mostly operated from abroad continue to lure the youth. Operators are pushing apps through direct links and fake GPS hacks. Once money is lost, the chances of recovery are slim.

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