kochi proliferation of digital loan apps that charge hefty interest rates and online rummy websites that lure players with cash bonuses are trapping keralites in massive debts often pushing them to the verge of suicide the loan apps are also a privacy nightmare with payment defaults resulting in cyber crimes of intimidation and defamationthe suicide of 28yearold vineeth a contract staffer with isro in thiruvananthapuram on new year eve allegedly after running up a debt of rs 21 lakh in online rummy has brought sharp focus on the perils of leaving digital finance and gaming in the state unregulatedregulation is something that a state can easily do since betting and gambling falls under state list as per 7th schedule says amit nair an advocate with gujarat high court who had moved a public interest litigation against online rummy resulting in a directive to the state government as far as rummy is concerned there is a settled judgment by the apex court which called rummy a game of skill but there is one line that comes as help for us which says if it is played with stakes then it would attract appropriate laws he said assam odisha telangana andhra pradesh nagaland and sikkim have laws restricting such gamesthe financial distress triggered by covid19 lockdown is cited as one reason for dependence on hasslefree loans driven through social media websites and sms these apps most of them hosted on chinese servers have been there for the past two years but they gained users from the state during the lockdown says sebastian varghese a financial adviser who tried to create awareness on the pernicious nature of these apps through youtube videos the moment you default harassment begins and they would post pictures of your wife with defamatory content on whatsapp groups they create and call up people on your contact list says varghese anivar aravind a digital rights activist says it is high time that digital lenders are brought under the ambit of kerala money lenders act of 1958 there is also a need to make them gst compliant and review online information database and retrieval services to ensure better revenue for the state says aravind