When the game plays you: Addiction to sports gambling on rise in India

“My entire generational wealth was wiped out,” says Shreya (name changed on request) woefully, revealing she lost nearly ₹8 crore to cricket betting between 2022 and 2024.

 

What began as a love for the sport while studying in the UK quickly spiralled into a full-blown gambling addiction that consumed her finances, strained relationships, and shattered her mental health.

 

“I stopped seeing it as a sport. It became about money, loans, and constant access to betting platforms,” she recalls.

 

Now in her late 20s — after enduring family rifts, mounting debts, spending a year in a Mumbai rehabilitation centre, and abstaining from betting apps — Shreya was finally able to watch a cricket match live, Gujarat Titans versus Mumbai Indians at the Indian Premier League (IPL) on March 31 this year, as a true, unapologetic fan rather than a gambler. 

 

A silent crisis 

 

Shreya overcame her addiction, but not many are as fortunate.

 

In 2025 alone, at least 50 suicides linked to online gambling losses have been reported across India. According to first information reports (FIRs), the victims were addicted to betting, largely driven by cricket, rummy and poker. The FIRs revealed their involvement with various gaming platforms.

 

“We receive two to three gambling-related enquiries every week. It increases during mega events like the IPL,” says Parth Soni, clinical lead at Alpha Healing Center, Vadodara, Gujarat. “Unlike substance abuse, gambling doesn’t show physical symptoms. That makes it harder to detect.”

 

Behind the rise in sports-related gambling addiction is the booming betting market, which has been growing at 30 per cent annually and is expected to reach $100 billion by 2025. The online real money gaming sector alone is valued at $5 billion, according to Digital India Foundation (DIF), a Noida-based not-for-profit think-tank.

 

“Lack of regulatory clarity between skill and chance, coupled with aggressive digital marketing, influencer promotions, and easy payment gateways, fuels this boom,” says Arvind Gupta, the foundation’s cofounder. 

 

The psychology of addiction

 

“It usually starts small, with a few wins that hook users,” says Martin Peters, chief operating officer at Samarpan rehab centre in Mumbai, who oversaw Shreya’s recovery. With simple interfaces and easy access, even blue-collar workers are getting lured into sports betting, which in time becomes addictive, he adds.

 

“Some earning ₹25,000–30,000 a month are borrowing up to ₹3 lakh,” he says.

 

The addiction quickly escalates beyond match results — people begin betting on ball-by-ball outcomes or individual player statistics. “Once started, the addiction becomes migratory. One starts betting on all sports, including football and horse racing,” Peters adds.

 

“The most vulnerable are young adults aged 20–30,” he says.

 

Few seek help for this addiction. Worse still, many are unaware that it is an addiction requiring professional treatment.

 

“Unlike alcohol or any substance addiction, nobody can predict the exact damage in gambling. It often takes a major financial collapse or emotional breakdown for someone to realise they need treatment,” says Soni. 

 

In Shreya’s case, too, her parents initially tried to change her ‘habits’ and block bank accounts before seeking professional help.

 

Rehab, too, is unaffordable for many. Outpatient sessions typically cost around ₹4,000 per hour, with many individuals requiring over 15 sessions. A 35-day residential stay can cost ₹3.5–6.5 lakh.

 

Samarpan has handled 40 outpatients and 20–25 residential IPL-related cases over three years. Enquiries, the centre reveals, spike every season.

 

Treatment is also highly specialised. “There’s no detox, only psychological intervention,” says Peters.

 

Unlike many countries, especially in the West, dealing with rising gambling addiction, India has few self-help groups and barely any government-run rehabilitation centres.

 

“Sometimes, gamblers do not have any other addiction like alcohol or drugs, but they are all treated at the same place,” Shreya says. 

 

Regulating the space

 

Those who have used both Indian and global skill-based platforms highlight regulatory loopholes domestically.

 

“Foreign apps may ask for income proof and block accounts. On Indian platforms, you can just continue without such warnings or interruptions,” Shreya explains.

 

Roland Landers, chief executive officer, All India Gaming Federation (AIGF), however, emphasises that AIGF-verified member operators follow strict self-regulatory codes that include secure know your customer (KYC) norms, transparent gameplay, deposit limits, and in-platform self-exclusion tools to prevent addictive behaviour.

 

According to a spokesperson from the Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS), industry federations have adopted a code of ethics aimed at enforcing consistent standards of user safety through the implementation of responsible gaming and advertising policies. “Legitimate online gaming operators are distinct from betting and gambling,” the spokesperson adds. 

 

Dark web of digital betting

 

There are legal platforms — and then there are the dubious ones, on which illegal betting thrives via covert overseas apps that smartly evade the goods and services tax (GST) applicable on real-time money gaming apps.

 

“Illegal betting apps are distributed through covert channels like links that promise rewards or social media pages disguised as ‘fan communities’. These often bypass official app stores,” says Dhiraj Gupta, co-founder of Gurugram-based mFilterIt, an ad fraud detection platform.

 

“We have already tracked and blocked 30–35 illegal gaming-related ads on government websites this season,” he says, adding that there has been a notable rise of such ads in smaller cities.

 

A report by think tank CUTS International estimates that approximately $100 billion is deposited annually on illegal online gambling websites in India.

 

“A national-level approach, rather than fragmented state laws, can empower enforcement agencies to block illegal platforms effectively,” says Landers of AIGF. He adds that the AIGF is working with regulatory authorities, and law enforcement and digital platforms to identify and report suspicious sites and unauthorised ads, and is urging intermediaries to stop monetising illegal operations.

 

According to digital experts, the illegal ecosystem operates primarily through offshore platforms registered under foreign jurisdictions.

 

“The payments are facilitated through fake UPI IDs, wallet proxies, and cryptocurrencies. Since ready-made templates of such links are available, it requires only a moderate digital understanding to operate them,” says DIF’s Gupta.

 

He also points out the ease of replication — several sites can emerge at once, making crackdowns even more challenging.

 

According to the CUTS International report, the top 15 illegal gaming websites and 40 of their mirror sites saw over 5.4 billion visits in FY25. The report adds that platforms such as 1xBet, Parimatch, Stake, Fairplay, and BateryBet consistently registered high traffic volumes and broad user reach.

 

Beyond financial loss, the rise of illegal betting platforms poses systemic risks. “There is unaccounted cash flow, aggressive social media targeting, offshore ecosystems, and cross-border transactions. These can’t be ignored as they pose a threat to national security,” Gupta adds.

 

Experts stress the need for real-time intervention: using device-level intelligence to identify mule accounts, freezing suspicious wallets instantly, and establishing a shared registry among payment platforms to track repeat offenders.

 

According to the gaming federations, the industry is conducting annual audits, enforcing user safety measures, and framing rules in line with global practices. These include age-gating, assistance for at-risk players, and responsible advertising.

 

Unless systemic reforms, comprehensive regulation, and affordable rehab options are introduced, stories like Shreya’s — and tragedies far worse — could become increasingly common. 

Betting on ruin

 

$100 billion: India’s betting landscape, with an annual estimated growth of 30%

$5 billion: Value of legal online real money gaming sector, which has over 180 million users

1.6 billion: Estimated visits on four major illegal platforms from October to December 2024

₹4,000/hour: Average cost of gambling rehab in India

₹25,000-30,000 /month: Average income group facing gambling addiction issues