Editing Bereaved Mum Backs Require Gambling Regulation

<br>4 February 2026<br>ShareSave<br><br><br>Helen CattPolitical Editor, [http://koftc.com/bbs/board.php?bo_table=free&wr_id=6878 BBC South] East<br><br><br>A mom whose kid took his own life after becoming addicted to gambling is backing calls from MPs to deal with the practice as a public health threat.<br><br><br>Lesley Wade, from Minster on the Isle of Sheppey, lost her "household orientated" and "fun" kid Aaron [https://victoria.nauroy.net/index.php/Utilisateur:HassanVtt60107 Armstrong] aged 30 in 2014.<br><br><br>She stated it had actually taken her several years to [https://gitea.ontoast.uk/dennyclanton04/the-bet9ja-promotion-code-this-2026-is-yohaig/wiki/The-Bet9ja-promotion-code-2026-is-YOHAIG understand] that [https://lunarishollows.wiki/index.php?title=User:CeceliaMoreland addiction meant] "the onus wasn't all on him" to stop betting.<br><br><br>The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), the [https://meza-realestate.com/agent/elaneswader409/ main industry] body, said the "frustrating majority" of individuals who gamble do so "securely and properly".<br><br><br>'All gone'<br><br><br>Armstrong, who worked as a scaffolder, played in a [http://topsite.otaku-attitude.net/index.php?a=stats&u=isidrabousquet pool league] and was a keen golf player.<br><br><br>He also loved football, frequently wagering on matches.<br><br><br>She stated her child increasingly began to ask her for money in 2013.<br><br><br>"I had not admitted to myself the amount of cash he was asking me for at different times," she said.<br><br><br>She  one occasion when it was his turn to spend for a Friday morning breakfast he routinely had with pals.<br><br><br>Wade stated: "He sounded me up and asked me if I might move some cash to spend for the breakfast.<br><br><br>"He [https://git.jiankanghao.net/deenakovach13 'd simply] been paid that morning and he had no money in his account. It was all gone."<br><br><br>She stated she now believes he had actually been sitting on the scaffolding, gambling on his phone.<br><br><br>Armstrong's relationship with his partner broke down and he was asked to leave his flat.<br><br><br>The scaffolder went on to seek assistance but, in 2014, he took his own life.<br><br><br>After her kid's death, Wade found a variety of emails from gambling firms using incentives such as funded journeys to see his preferred football team.<br><br><br>She stated: "I discovered that he had a deal of a free bet for ₤ 1,000 and I thought we [https://support.theopenroad.cloud/index.php?title=User:EmoryJrz336277 'd barred] him from all the websites. There were great deals of e-mails however that's the one that really stuck out."<br><br><br>Public health issue<br><br><br>Wade later on met Sittingbourne and Sheppey MP Kevin McKenna, who has actually since made campaigning on gambling damages a top priority.<br><br><br>He is now one of a variety of MPs, consisting of Worthing West's Dr Beccy Cooper, who are campaigning for a modification in how society - and the government - techniques betting.<br><br><br>McKenna stated there were about 500 deaths by suicide related to gambling a year in the country.<br><br><br>"If it was anything else we 'd be looking at it as a public health concern," he added.<br><br><br>It would move the focus from private obligation to recognising it as a risk to the broader population as a whole.<br><br><br>Treating it as a public health concern might include actions like higher policy of gambling marketing and eliminating the most addictive items.<br><br><br>The Betting and Gaming Council stated the "frustrating bulk" of the 22.5 million individuals who bet in Britain did so "safely" and "properly".<br><br><br>According to a Gaming Commission report in 2024, Gambling Survey for Great Britain, 2.7% of adults stated they had a gambling issue.<br><br><br>The Conservative federal government released an evaluation of gambling guideline in 2023.<br><br><br>In 2025, the Gambling Commission offered people the right to more control over the direct marketing they get from betting firms and introduced optimal stakes on online slot devices.<br><br><br>A government representative said it was "acutely mindful" of the effect harmful gambling can have and said it was "dedicated to strengthening defenses to protect those at threat".<br><br><br>It introduced the statutory gambling levy which it explained as a "major positive action".<br><br><br>This puts an obligatory charge on certified betting operators which will be utilized to money support and research study into betting addiction.<br><br><br>'Bit of enjoyable'<br><br><br>Wade is now part of Gambling With Lives, a group formed by other bereaved moms and dads that uses support to households, and campaigns to reform betting laws.<br><br><br>Chair Charles Ritchie said most of its members had actually lost someone "very regular, pleased, popular" who had "gotten in into [https://getshort.in/anawarrick1295 betting believing] it was a little bit of enjoyable".<br><br><br>"That's what we're all [https://tiktokporn.live/@deborahbrito0?page=about informed] and after that when you enter into difficulty you're successfully told it's your fault and households hear that as well," he said.<br><br><br>He accused the industry of promoting a narrative that it is "something wrong with the person, a weak point or flaw in their character".<br><br><br>Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.<br>