How Karnataka man's Rs 1 crore losses in IPL betting drove his wife to suicide

A 24-year-old woman was driven to suicide in Karnataka’s Chitradurga following the staggering debts accrued by her husband by betting on Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket matches. The homemaker was found dead at her residence last week.

Her husband had lost around Rs 1.5 crore in online cricket betting, according to a Times of India (TOI) report.

Man ‘forced’ into IPL betting

The man, identified as Darshan Balu, has reportedly been placing bets on IPL games since 2021, a year after getting married to Ranjitha V.

Darshan, who worked as an assistant engineer in the state’s Minor Irrigation Department at Hosadurga, Chitradurga, amassed a debt of over Rs 1 crore from placing online bets on cricket games, reported NDTV.

According to Ranjitha’s father, Venkatesh M, his son-in-law was “forced” into cricket betting with the promise of quick riches.

After Darshan made money initially, he started placing higher bets. However, his luck ran out eventually and he started losing. The engineer was now deep into the world of online betting due to which he ended up borrowing money at exorbitant interest rates, which left him with debts of over Rs 1 crore by the end of last year’s IPL season, as per the NDTV report.

While he managed to return most of the borrowed money, Darshan, who is in his late 20s, still owes around Rs 54 lakh, reported TOI.

How husband’s debts drove wife to suicide

As per Venkatesh, his daughter learned about Darshan’s betting in 2021.

The engineer’s debts took a toll on his family. Ranjitha, who was tired of the constant harassment by her husband’s moneylenders, allegedly died by suicide earlier this month, as per NDTV.

In her suicide note, she reportedly accused the creditors who lent money to her husband of harassing the couple, which resulted in her taking her life, reported TOI.

According to the newspaper report, the moneylenders had allegedly threatened to defame Darshan’s family over the unpaid money.

Ranjitha’s father filed a complaint against 13 men who allegedly lent money to Darshan. He said in the complaint that his daughter was extremely distressed by the constant harassment and intimidation.

“My son-in-law is innocent. He was not willing to get into cricket betting, but the suspects forced him, saying it was an easy way to get rich. They promised to finance his betting activities against some blank cheques as security,” TOI cited Venkatesh’s police complaint as saying.

“Darshan did wager some money in online cricket betting between 2021 and 2023, but lost all of it. The suspects demanded Darshan return their money immediately.”

The police filed an FIR under IPC 306 (abetment to suicide). Three lenders have been arrested, while the others are still at large, reported TOI. 

The couple has a two-year-old son.

Online cricket betting in India

There have been reports of people hooked to online betting resorting to criminal activities or taking their own lives when burdened with heavy losses.

However, despite financial risks, Indians have not shied away from online betting apps.

A report published by the Think Change Forum, an economics think-tank, last October found that the online betting industry in India was estimated to receive Rs 8,20,000 crore every year. Of this, 80-90 per cent accounts for gambling in cricket matches, Scroll.in noted.

It does not matter whether the users win or lose, the betting platforms will surely gain. According to Professor Ranganath Tannir, co-author of the Think Change Forum report, betting apps are expected to earn an average revenue of $292 (around Rs 24,000) per user in 2024.

IPL is considered a big driver of betting activity in India. It is estimated that over 140 million (14 crore) people in India indulge in betting and gambling regularly, which increases to 370 million (37 crore) during the IPL, reported PTI.

In India, gambling is governed by the Public Gambling Act of 1867 which bans all forms of betting, except for certain games that involve skills including chess and bridge.

However, games of chance do not enjoy any legal protection. Legal loopholes in the regulation of the betting space have resulted in the mushrooming of such apps, as per Scroll.

Another problem linked to online gambling is addiction developed by users. The number of people seeking addiction treatment has surged in recent years.

Dr Manoj Sharma, professor of clinical psychology and head of the Service for Healthy Use of Technology (SHUT), told Al Jazeera last year that the clinic sees 20 to 22 individuals with gaming addictions per week. This number was three to four when the clinic was opened in 2014 by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (NIMHANS) in Bengaluru.

People addicted to online betting could develop mental health issues once they start losing money. To prevent this and rein in betting apps, stricter regulations are the need of the hour.

With inputs from agencies