Debts racked up on World Cup games can turn deadly, report He Na, Meng Jing and Cao Yin in Beijing

For millions of viewers in China and across the globe, the World Cup is a monthlong extravaganza of soccer and a chance to share the triumphs and losses with family and friends. For a limited number, though, it is a descent into the despair of unpayable debts racked up by gambling.

In one case, on June 27, a woman committed suicide at a hotel in Haikou, Hainan province, after losing more than 100,000 yuan ($16,000) gambling on the World Cup.