Mayuge man commits suicide after losing Shs 800,000 in World Cup bet

A man in Mayuge district has committed suicide by poisoning after losing Shs 800,000 in sports betting. The 30-year-old, Isa Tibinuma, resident of Bubalagala village in Bukatuube sub-county.

Tibinuma sold off his 20 by 45ft land on December 16, 2022, for Shs 800,000. He reportedly staked Shs 500,000 at Tofer bet house in Bukatuube sub-county that Morocco would defeat Croatia on December 17 with the hope of earning Shs 2 million. However, Morocco lost 2-1 to Croatia, which saw Tibinuma lose his bet.

He decided to stake the remaining Shs 300,000 with a bet that France would defeat Argentina in the FIFA 2022 World Cup finals on December 18, 2022, with the hope of earning Shs 1.2 million. He lost the second bet as well since France lost 4-2 in penalty spots.

Tibinuma locked himself in his house on Sunday night when he is said to have taken suspected rat poison and called his family members to inform them of his decision to commit suicide after losing the money.

His brother, Ibrah Buyinza, says that upon receipt of the deceased’s distress call, he teamed up with well-wishers and forcefully broke into his house where they found him lying helpless on the floor.

Buyinza says that they rushed Tibinuma to a private clinic but his situation worsened prompting them to refer him to Mayuge health centre IV for further management where he breathed his last today Monday morning. 

Busoga East police spokesperson, Diana Nandawula says that they are waiting for a conclusive postmortem report to ascertain Tibinuma’s cause of death. She has challenged youths to engage in productive income-generating activities rather than engaging in betting ventures, which are unsustainable.