NEW DELHI: A rapidly spreading online gambling addiction, mostly among unemployed youth, is destroying families in India-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said in Srinagar on Friday.

Addressing the Friday congregation at the Jama Masjid, the Mirwaiz expressed deep concern over the growing trend of online gambling, which he said was disguised as various sports, including cricket and football.

“They have taken hold of the youth,” Mirwaiz Farooq said. ”It’s tragic enough to be grappling with the crisis of drug addiction, and now another menace has taken root in our society.”

He said that hundreds of young people, driven by the lure of quick money, are falling victim to gambling apps such as dream11dotcom and my11circledot com. “They are forcing many families to sell their homes and assets to cover the massive debts incurred by their addicted members, mostly young men.”

Mirwaiz cited distressing examples of some youth who had lost lakhs of rupees, casting heavy financial burdens on their families and destroying them emotionally. He stressed that in Islam, gambling in every form is strictly prohibited as it breeds greed and avarice and ruins lives, uprooting their spiritual and moral foundations.

Mirwaiz Farooq emphasised that the social cost of addiction of every kind leads to the fast erosion of the social fabric of society and ultimately its end.

He pointed out that the high rate of youth unemployment, which he estimated at 40 per cent in the held state, adds to the problem.

“It pushes many to take risky short cuts like online gambling out of compulsion. Our young people need meaningful opportunities, not harmful distractions that eventually drain their finances and ruin their futures,” he said.

Mirwaiz urged the government to take decisive action, noting that many states in India like Telangana, Assam, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, and Nagaland have already banned these gambling apps. “We call on the Jammu and Kashmir government to follow and immediately impose a ban on these apps to protect our youth and society from further harm,” he said.

While Ulema and imams keep addressing such critical issues across mosques, it was the parents who needed to stay vigilant.

Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2024