Bereaved Mum Backs Require Gambling Regulation

4 February 2026
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Helen CattPolitical Editor, BBC South East


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


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


She stated it had actually 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 primary market body, stated the "overwhelming majority" of individuals who bet do so "safely and responsibly".


'All gone'


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


He also loved football, often banking on matches.


She stated her kid progressively started to ask her for cash in 2013.


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


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


Wade said: "He called me up and asked me if I could move some cash to pay 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 assistance however, in 2014, he took his own life.


After her kid's death, Wade discovered a number of emails from gambling firms offering incentives such as financed trips to see his favourite 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 lots of emails but that's the one that actually stood out."


Public health issue


Wade later met Sittingbourne and Sheppey MP Kevin McKenna, who has actually considering 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 modification in how society - and the federal government - methods gambling.


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


"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 individual duty to recognising it as a danger to the wider population as a whole.


Treating it as a public health issue could include actions like higher guideline of betting advertising and removing the most addicting items.


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


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


The Conservative federal government released an evaluation of betting regulation in 2023.


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


A federal government representative said it was "acutely aware" of the impact hazardous gaming can have and said it was "committed to reinforcing defenses to protect those at threat".


It presented the statutory gambling levy which it referred to as a "significant positive step".


This positions a compulsory charge on licensed betting operators which will be used to money assistance and research into gambling dependency.


'Bit of fun'


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 someone "very typical, delighted, popular" who had "entered into betting thinking it was a little bit of enjoyable".


"That's what we're all told and then when you get into difficulty you're efficiently informed it's your fault and families hear that as well," he stated.


He implicated the market of promoting a narrative that it is "something incorrect with the individual, a weakness or defect in their character".


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