Bereaved Mum Backs Calls For Gambling Regulation

4 February 2026
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Helen CattPolitical Editor, BBC South East


A mom whose child took his own life after ending up being addicted to gaming is backing calls from MPs to treat the routine as a public health risk.


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


She said it had taken her several years to understand that dependency indicated "the onus wasn't all on him" to stop betting.


The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), the main industry body, stated the "frustrating bulk" of people who gamble do so "safely and properly".


'All gone'


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


He likewise liked football, often wagering on matches.


She said her kid progressively started to ask her for money in 2013.


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


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


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 said she now believes he had 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 look for aid but, in 2014, he took his own life.


After her boy's death, Wade discovered a variety of emails from gambling companies offering incentives such as funded trips to see his favourite football group.


She said: "I discovered that he had a deal of a free bet for ₤ 1,000 and I thought we 'd disallowed him from all the websites. There were lots of e-mails however that's the one that actually stood out."


Public health concern


Wade later fulfilled Sittingbourne and Sheppey MP Kevin McKenna, who has actually because made campaigning on gambling harms a concern.


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


McKenna stated there had to do with 500 deaths by suicide associated to betting a year in the nation.


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


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


Treating it as a public health issue could consist of actions like greater guideline of betting marketing and eliminating the most addicting products.


The Betting and Gaming Council stated the "overwhelming majority" of the 22.5 million individuals who bet in Britain did so "securely" and "properly".


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


The Conservative government released an evaluation of gaming policy in 2023.


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


A federal government representative said it was "acutely aware" of the impact harmful betting can have and stated it was "devoted to strengthening defenses to protect those at risk".


It introduced the statutory gaming levy which it explained as a "significant positive step".


This puts a compulsory charge on licensed gambling operators which will be utilized to fund assistance and research study into betting dependency.


'Bit of fun'


Wade is now part of Gambling With Lives, a group formed by other bereaved parents that uses assistance to families, and campaigns to reform gambling laws.


Chair Charles Ritchie said the majority of its members had lost somebody "extremely normal, happy, popular" who had "gotten in into it was a bit of fun".


"That's what we're all informed and then when you enter into difficulty you're efficiently informed it's your fault and households hear that also," he stated.


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


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