- Reports recently surfaced that a Bengaluru techie’s gambling disorder cost him 70 lakhs.
- This case joins burgeoning instances of gambling disorder across the globe.
A software engineer residing in Bengaluru successfully underwent counseling to overcome his addiction to online rummy. The man, who lived in the CV Raman Nagar area of the city, finally reconciled with his family on Tuesday, following a seven-month counseling program.
According to Rani Shetty, an officer from a women’s helpline, the man’s wife was shocked to discover in October that her husband had squandered Rs 70 lakh of their savings through online gambling. This incident about the Bengaluru techie’s gambling disorder became the breaking point for her, prompting her to take her children and seek refuge at her mother’s place.
Determined to address the matter legally, she filed a complaint against her husband’s addiction to online rummy and the subsequent substantial financial losses at the KR Puram police station, as reported by The Times of India.
The Bengaluru techie’s gambling inclination towards online rummy initially began with placing bets on local cricket matches. However, this harmless hobby transformed into a full-blown addiction after he started working for an IT firm in Bengaluru. In 2014, he got married, and over time, he became a father to two daughters.
It wasn’t until 2022 that the wife accidentally stumbled upon the Bengaluru techie’s online gambling practices. The women’s helpline officer intervened to mediate the situation and invited her for a discussion, during which the wife conveyed the financial hardships and emotional trauma they were enduring.
After hearing the wife’s side of the story, the man was summoned to the local police station in late October. Subsequently, he willingly underwent counseling, which had a profound positive impact on him. Over the course of seven months, he experienced a remarkable transformation.
As part of his recovery process, he also received tech de-addiction therapy at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS). Rani Shetty expressed her satisfaction, saying, “The wife was overjoyed with her husband’s progress over the seven months, and this week, he entered my office hand in hand with her, announcing his freedom from online gambling addiction.”
Initially, the man remained indifferent and irritated by his wife’s decision to involve the police, insisting that she and the children return home. However, witnessing her unwavering determination to stand her ground until he overcame his online gambling habit, he gradually started to change his perspective.
Eventually, he broke down and expressed his desire to regain his family and conquer his addiction. This news follows in the heels of reports that a 39-year-old man in Bengaluru checked himself into a NIMHANS facility after he lost more than Rs 30 lakh in stock trading.