Bereaved Mum Backs Calls For Gambling Regulation: Unterschied zwischen den Versionen

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4 February 2026
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Helen CattPolitical Editor, BBC South East


A mom whose kid took his own life after becoming addicted to gambling is backing calls from MPs to deal with the habit as a public health danger.


Lesley Wade, from on the Isle of Sheppey, lost her "household orientated" and "enjoyable" son Aaron Armstrong aged 30 in 2014.


She stated it had actually taken her numerous years to comprehend that addiction indicated "the onus wasn't all on him" to stop betting.


The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), the main market body, stated the "frustrating majority" of individuals who bet do so "safely and properly".


'All gone'


Armstrong, who worked as a scaffolder, played in a swimming pool league and was a keen golf player.


He likewise liked football, frequently wagering on matches.


She said her child significantly started to ask her for cash in 2013.


"I hadn't admitted to myself the amount of money he was asking me for at different times," she said.


She remembered one event when it was his turn to spend for a Friday early morning breakfast he regularly had with good friends.


Wade said: "He called me up and asked me if I might transfer some cash to spend for the breakfast.


"He 'd simply been paid that early morning and he had no money in his account. It was all gone."


She stated she now thinks he had actually been resting on the scaffolding, gambling on his phone.


Armstrong's relationship with his partner broke down and he was asked to leave his flat.


The scaffolder went on to seek help however, in 2014, he took his own life.


After her son's death, Wade found a number of e-mails from betting firms providing incentives such as financed journeys to see his favourite football group.


She said: "I found that he had a deal of a totally free bet for ₤ 1,000 and I believed we 'd barred him from all the sites. There were lots of emails however that's the one that actually stood out."


Public health issue


Wade later on met Sittingbourne and Sheppey MP Kevin McKenna, who has actually considering that made marketing on betting harms a concern.


He is now one of a number of MPs, consisting of Worthing West's Dr Beccy Cooper, who are campaigning for a change in how society - and the government - approaches betting.


McKenna said there had to do with 500 deaths by suicide related to betting a year in the country.


"If it was anything else we 'd be taking a look at it as a public health concern," he included.


It would shift the focus from individual responsibility to recognising it as a threat to the wider population as a whole.


Treating it as a public health concern could include actions like higher policy of betting advertising and removing the most addicting products.


The Betting and Gaming Council said the "overwhelming bulk" of the 22.5 million people who wager in Britain did so "securely" and "properly".


According to a Betting Commission report in 2024, Gambling Survey for Great Britain, 2.7% of grownups stated they had a gambling issue.


The Conservative federal government introduced a review of gambling policy in 2023.


In 2025, the Gambling Commission gave people the right to more control over the direct marketing they get from gambling companies and presented maximum stakes on online slots.


A government representative stated it was "acutely mindful" of the effect harmful gambling can have and stated it was "committed to strengthening defenses to secure those at risk".


It introduced the statutory betting levy which it explained as a "major favorable action".


This positions a necessary charge on certified betting operators which will be used to fund support and research study into betting addiction.


'Little bit of enjoyable'


Wade is now part of Gambling With Lives, a group formed by other bereaved parents that offers support to households, and projects to reform gambling laws.


Chair Charles Ritchie stated most of its members had actually lost somebody "really regular, pleased, popular" who had "gotten in into gambling believing it was a bit of fun".


"That's what we're all informed and then when you enter trouble you're effectively told it's your fault and families hear that too," he said.


He accused the market of promoting a narrative that it is "something wrong with the person, a weakness or flaw in their character".


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