In a somber example of modern-day peril, a 42-year-old Mumbai businessman let’s call him Ajit reckons that he has lost ₹12 crore over three years chasing quick wins through online gaming. Ajit, once financially stable and hopeful, stumbled into this dangerous game during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic when social media ads promised fast returns. One such ad led him to download the Parimatch app, and he began depositing small amounts just to test the waters.

Initially, small wins fed his confidence. Soon, persuasive agents encouraged him to invest more with tantalizing bonuses. Over time, what started as ₹27 crore in deposits dwindled back to just ₹15 crore in withdrawals. The rest approximately ₹12.22 crore vanished into gaming algorithms and broken promises. Attempts to withdraw larger sums were met with delays and silence.

Ajit’s plight triggered a Mumbai Police cyber cell complaint and then a national investigation. The Enforcement Directorate discovered a murky financial matrix: frozen assets worth ₹110 crore in mule accounts, an international web from Cyprus and Curacao, and over 1,200 credit cards baited into laundering user funds. It turned out Parimatch wasn’t alone, as the gaming world raked in over ₹3,000 crore in a single year often hidden from oversight.

His story underscores both personal tragedy and systemic danger. The government’s move to pass the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025 is timely banning financial-stake games and their promotion via celebrities, with penalties up to ₹1 crore in fines or three years’ imprisonment.

Ajit now lives in debt and despair, with lenders pressing daily and fraudsters preying on his desperation. His warning echoes: “Don’t fall for these games.” His life, painstakingly built over decades, is wrecked and we must learn before it’s too late.