BETTING TRAP DIGS GRAVE FOR DREAMS

In Kashmir's homes behind quiet walls and in front of bright smartphone screens, asecret crisis is brewing.

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Betting sites online disguised as game apps, fantasy leagues, or instant win casinos are quietly consuming the aspirations and money of a whole generation. What started as a harmless rush for some has turned into an addiction epidemic, financial devastation, and radicalisation for others. The worst affected are the young people agitated, ambitious, and susceptible who are being drawn into a maelstrom from which very few emerge unharmed.

In towns and villages across the Valley, teens as young as 16 spend hours stuck to gambling sites. They start with modest bets 100 or 200 but before long, they are borrowing money from friends, availing loans, or even stealing from homes. A few early wins give them a taste of what seems like “easy money”, but the house always wins in the end. What follows is a dangerous downward spiral: debt, shame, frustration, and isolation.

And now, an even more disturbing trend is emerging. Some of these financially stuck and emotionally shattered kids are being poached by radical elements or hardline advance forces not only because they are desperate, but because they leave a digital footprint behind that allows them to be easily targeted for coercion. A wealth-guarantee app is the door to exploitation.