Bereaved Mum Backs Require Gambling Regulation

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 practice as a public health threat.


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


She stated it had actually taken her several years to understand that addiction meant "the onus wasn't all on him" to stop betting.


The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), the main industry body, said the "frustrating majority" of individuals who gamble do so "securely and properly".


'All gone'


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


He also loved football, frequently wagering on matches.


She stated her child increasingly began to ask her for money in 2013.


"I had not admitted to myself the amount of cash he was asking me for at different times," she said.


She one occasion when it was his turn to spend for a Friday morning breakfast he routinely had with pals.


Wade stated: "He sounded me up and asked me if I might move some cash to spend for the breakfast.


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


She stated she now believes he had actually been sitting 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 assistance but, in 2014, he took his own life.


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.


She stated: "I discovered that he had a deal of a free bet for ₤ 1,000 and I thought we 'd barred him from all the websites. There were great deals of e-mails however that's the one that really stuck out."


Public health issue


Wade later on met Sittingbourne and Sheppey MP Kevin McKenna, who has actually since made campaigning on gambling damages a top priority.


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.


McKenna stated there were about 500 deaths by suicide related to gambling a year in the country.


"If it was anything else we 'd be looking at it as a public health concern," he added.


It would move the focus from private obligation to recognising it as a risk to the broader population as a whole.


Treating it as a public health concern might include actions like higher policy of gambling marketing and eliminating the most addictive items.


The Betting and Gaming Council stated the "frustrating bulk" of the 22.5 million individuals who bet in Britain did so "safely" and "properly".


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


The Conservative federal government released an evaluation of gambling guideline in 2023.


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.


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".


It introduced the statutory gambling levy which it explained as a "major positive action".


This puts an obligatory charge on certified betting operators which will be utilized to money support and research study into betting addiction.


'Bit of enjoyable'


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.


Chair Charles Ritchie said most of its members had actually lost someone "very regular, pleased, popular" who had "gotten in into betting believing it was a little bit of enjoyable".


"That's what we're all 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.


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


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