In China, football is becoming more than just a popular sport. For some, it is also becoming a gambling addiction.

"We lost our business, sold our house and now are in huge debt," said Wang Ningfang, whose husband, Liu Chunyang, lost 1.4 million yuan ($205,880) betting on football games online. "Our lives are now a total mess."

Liu and his wife once ran an Internet cafe in Tianjin. The business earned several thousand yuan per day. Their family was close. Life was good. But then everything changed in 2006 when the FIFA World Cup was held.