New Delhi, June 18 -- Somewhere in India, a delivery rider finishes a 12-hour shift and opens a gaming app. In another city, a retired government employee, drawn in by what appears to be a gaming application, finds her savings gone after falling prey to a phishing scam. A trader finds himself on an offshore unregulated 'teen patti' platform designed for this card game.

These are not isolated stories anymore. They add up to indicate a collision between economic insecurity and rising aspirations. They also reveal a need for consumer awareness.

India's online gaming explosion did not happen overnight. The covid pandemic was its true accelerant.

When lockdowns shuttered offices and livelihoods, millions turned to smartphones for income and...