South Asians Gamble Less. So Why Does it Hit Us Harder?
India produced some of the world’s earliest warnings about addiction. Now, prediction markets have put “Vegas in your pocket.”
One morning, Harj Gahley’s wife opened his banking app and discovered a hidden bank account with large transactions. The clues she collected over the years — unexplained bills, debt letters, cancelled vacations — all came together. Gahley had put his family £250,000 in debt. The culprit was a gambling addiction.
“Unlike drugs and alcohol, where you can see someone is using, or somebody’s intoxicated,” Gahley told The Juggernaut, “it’s the only addiction rooted in the hope of winning a jackpot.”
Today, with the rise of prediction markets and sports betting, gambling has become more accessible than ever. The global gambling industry is projected to reach $655 billion in market value by the end of 2026. But why does gambling hit the community so hard when it has been part of our culture for millennia? We traced the paper trail.