A person in Pune loses Rs 40 lakh on cricket betting apps over two years. He hides it from his wife, borrows from three relatives, and keeps telling himself the next bet will fix everything. By the time he accepts he has a problem, he doesn’t know where to turn.
If that sounds familiar, you are not alone. And there is real help available in India, much of it free.
Is Gambling Harm Actually Common in India?
More common than most people realise. Problem gambling in India is now considered a major public health issue, with lifetime gambling prevalence at 46 per cent and problem gambling at 7.4 per cent. That 7.4 per cent figure matters because it means millions of people in this country are struggling with gambling harm right now, not just a handful.
According to mental health professionals, the average age of those seeking help for gambling addiction has dropped from 45 to 29. Young men in their 20s and 30s are showing up at clinics, often after IPL season or a run of losses on fantasy gaming apps. The problem is no longer limited to horse racing or card rooms. It is on everyone’s phone.
The signs that things have gone too far: borrowing money to gamble, lying to family about how much you spend, chasing losses even after promising yourself you’d stop, and feeling anxious or irritable when you cannot gamble. If three or more of these describe you, it is time to reach out.
Where to Seek Help for Gambling-Related Harm
Free Helplines You Can Call Right Now
The fastest way to get support is over the phone. Three options cover the whole country.
KIRAN Mental Health Helpline (1800-599-0019): This is a Government of India helpline under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. It is toll-free, runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and is available in multiple Indian languages. You do not need to explain you have a gambling problem specifically. Just say you are struggling with an addiction. They will connect you to trained counsellors.
iCall by TISS (9152987821): iCall is run by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. It offers free and confidential counselling over phone, email, and chat, managed by counsellors with post-graduate qualifications in psychology. The service is available Monday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. You can also write to icall@tiss.edu if calling feels too difficult right now.
Tele-MANAS: A government initiative that provides round-the-clock mental health care in regional languages, available in every Indian state.
None of these calls go on any record that can affect your job or legal standing. They are confidential.
Specialist Clinics in India
For people who need more than a phone call, two institutions lead clinical treatment for gambling disorder in India.
India’s National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre at AIIMS, New Delhi, and the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences NIMHANS in Bengaluru are at the forefront of addressing mental health disorders from problem gambling.
NIMHANS runs the SHUT Clinic Service for Healthy Use of Technology at their centre in BTM Layout, Bengaluru. It was India’s first service dedicated to helping people overcome online gambling and trading addiction when it launched in 2014, and consultations have grown from 3-4 per week in the early years to 10-15 now. There is also a dedicated digital detox helpline at 9480829675, currently available on Fridays.
Private hospitals with dedicated gambling addiction programmes include Cadabam’s Hospitals in Bengaluru and Athena Behavioral Health Services, which offers treatment across multiple cities. These offer outpatient counselling, psychiatric support, and, where needed, inpatient rehabilitation. Costs vary; outpatient sessions at private centres generally start from Rs 800 to Rs 2,000 per session.
What If You Use an Online Platform?
If your gambling has mainly been through an online app or platform, there are steps you can take directly on that platform before anything else. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 requires licensed platforms to provide self-exclusion tools, deposit limits, and time limit features. Players may voluntarily exclude themselves under the self-exclusion mechanisms that the Act mandates.
If you use a platform like lotus365 pe for payments or account management, check the settings section for responsible gaming options. Many platforms also have an automated support assistant; the lotus365 bot feature, for example, can help you navigate account controls including spending limits. Using these tools immediately, even before calling a helpline, can reduce the temptation to keep playing while you arrange proper support.
What Happens When You Call or Visit?
Many people put off calling because they worry about being judged or told they have done something wrong. That is not what happens.
On a helpline, a trained counsellor will listen to what you are going through. They will ask you some simple questions about your habits, your financial situation if you want to share, and your mental state. They will not lecture you. The first call is usually 20 to 45 minutes and costs nothing.
At a clinic like NIMHANS, you register as an outpatient. A clinical psychologist or psychiatrist will do an assessment, discuss what treatment looks like, and often start with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). CBT helps you understand the thought patterns that lead to gambling, and replace them with different responses. This is currently the most effective treatment for gambling disorder.
If the problem is severe, they may recommend a structured programme that includes family therapy and financial counselling, because gambling harm rarely affects only the gambler.
Can Family Members Get Help Too?
Yes. If someone in your family has a gambling problem and they are not ready to ask for help themselves, you can still call iCall or KIRAN and speak with a counsellor about how to approach them. Most clients agree to treatment only during personal crises, and family members usually initiate the intervention. Knowing how to start that conversation without making things worse is valuable, and counsellors can guide you through it.
Gamblers Anonymous also has groups in several Indian cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chennai, where both gamblers and their families can attend peer support meetings.
A Note on the Legal Situation
Gambling laws in India vary by state. Most forms of offline gambling are restricted, though states like Goa and Sikkim permit certain licensed games. Online gambling became more regulated when the central government passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act in 2025. The Act also blocked over 1,500 illegal betting platforms between 2022 and June 2025.
This means that even though you may have been using an unregulated app, seeking help is still completely safe. Your focus right now is getting support, not worrying about legal consequences for yourself.
What to do next: Save this number in your phone today: 1800-599-0019 KIRAN, free and 24/7. If you are not ready to call yet, write to icall@tiss.edu. Recovery from gambling disorder takes time, but it is possible with the right support, and the first step is often the smallest one.
If you or someone you know is in acute distress or having thoughts of self-harm, call iCall at 9152987821 or KIRAN at 1800-599-0019 immediately.