Balasore: Amid rising teenage suicides over gaming addiction, another youth fell pray to the online activity and reportedly ended his life after losing money to the tune of lakhs in Odisha's Balasore district. The boy Dibyajyoti Pati (25), son of one Rajnikant Pati of Purusottampur village in Remuna, was found hanging after family members broke into his room.

As per reports, Dibyajyoti being an only child was often reprimanded by his parents for staying up late and playing games online. On Friday night, they asked him to sleep early as usual but Dibyajyoti paid no heed and carried on with his gaming activity where he ended up losing over Rs 40 lakhs. 

Unable to deal with the shocking and unpredictable outcome, he hung himself in a state of shock and fear. It is believed that extreme panic at the colossal loss of money led him to take such a drastic step.

When Dibyajyoti did not come out of his room for long, his parents knocked at the door and then broke into the space only to find him hanging. On hearing screams, neighbours rushed in and took the boy to the nearest hospital but doctors decalred him brought dead.

The shocking death comes close to a similar incident in Balasore last month where another youth died by suicide after losing a huge sum of money in online gaming. The boy Goutam Nayak of Sahajipatna village had invested Rs 5 lakh in the game and was desperately trying to recover the amount.

The last few years have witnessed an alarming surge in online gaming-related suicides among the youth. The disurbing pattern has not just plunged many families into debt but also claimed lives due to rising addiction and consequent mental health concerns.

On August 21, 2025, Parliament passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill. It became a law after Presidential assent the following day. The Act establishes a legal framework to promote beneficial online games like esports and social games while banning harmful online money games that involve financial stakes. The legislation, which will see new rules take effect by October 1, 2025, includes penalties for those who offer, promote, or advertise money-gaming and aims to protect the public from issues like addiction and financial fraud.