Bereaved Mum Backs Calls For Gambling Regulation

4 February 2026
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Helen CattPolitical Editor, BBC South East


A mother whose child took his own life after ending up being addicted to betting is backing calls from MPs to deal with the practice as a public health risk.


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


She said it had actually taken her several years to comprehend that addiction suggested "the onus wasn't all on him" to stop gambling.


The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), the primary market body, stated the "overwhelming majority" of individuals who gamble do so "securely and responsibly".


'All gone'


Armstrong, who worked as a scaffolder, played in a pool league and was an eager golf enthusiast.


He also loved football, frequently banking on matches.


She stated her child progressively started to ask her for money in 2013.


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


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


Wade stated: "He sounded me up and asked me if I might transfer 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 said she now thinks 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 help however, in 2014, he took his own life.


After her boy's death, Wade found a variety of e-mails from betting firms providing incentives such as funded trips to see his preferred football group.


She said: "I discovered that he had an offer of a totally free bet for ₤ 1,000 and I believed we 'd disallowed him from all the websites. There were lots of but that's the one that actually stood out."


Public health problem


Wade later on met Sittingbourne and Sheppey MP Kevin McKenna, who has actually given that made marketing on betting damages 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 - techniques gambling.


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


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


It would shift the focus from specific obligation to recognising it as a danger to the broader population as a whole.


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


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


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


The Conservative government launched an evaluation of gambling guideline in 2023.


In 2025, the Gambling Commission provided individuals the right to more control over the direct marketing they get from betting companies and presented maximum stakes on online fruit machine.


A federal government spokesperson stated it was "acutely aware" of the effect damaging betting can have and said it was "devoted to enhancing securities to protect those at risk".


It presented the statutory gambling levy which it described as a "major favorable action".


This puts a compulsory charge on licensed betting operators which will be utilized to fund support and research into betting addiction.


'Bit of enjoyable'


Wade is now part of Gambling With Lives, a group formed by other bereaved moms and dads that provides assistance to households, and campaigns to reform gambling laws.


Chair Charles Ritchie said many of its members had lost somebody "very regular, happy, popular" who had actually "participated in betting thinking it was a bit of fun".


"That's what we're all told and after that when you enter problem you're effectively informed it's your fault and households hear that also," he stated.


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


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