JINJA – A man in Mayuge district drank poison to end his life in reaction to France’s World Cup loss to Argentina on Sunday after he had gambled Ugx 800,000 in a sports betting binge.
The victim was identified as 30-year-old, Isa Tibinuma, a resident of Bubalagala village in Bukatuube sub-county.
Its alleged that Tibinuma earned Ugx800,000 through selling his piece of land on December 16, 2022, which money he staked with the hope of accumulating his money through betting.
Sources revealed that Tibinuma first staked Ugx500,000 at Tofer bet house in Bukatuube on Saturday, targeting Morocco to beat Croatia with an expected payout of Ugx2m but his dream wasn’t realised. After losing the Morocco bet, he decided to try out his luck with the balance of Ugx300,000 in the favour of a win for France over Argentina, hoping for Ugx1.2m payout but lost, again.
“He locked himself up in his house on Sunday night, taking a suspected rat poison substance – he actually notified his family members of his decision of committing suicide,” said a source.
The victim’s brother, Ibrah Buyinza, narrated that upon receiving the deceased’s distress call, he teamed up with well-wishers, forcing their way into the house where they found him lying helpless on the floor.
Buyinza added that Tibinuma was rushed to a nearby private clinic but his situation had deteriorated, prompting them to take him to Mayuge Health Centre IV where he breathed his last on Monday morning.
Busoga East police spokesperson, Diana Nandawula confirmed the incidence, adding that the police was waiting for a conclusive postmortem report to ascertain Tibinuma’s cause of death. She challenged youth to engage in productive income-generating activities rather than betting ventures, which she said were unsustainable.
Additional reporting by URN
