| − | <br>4 February 2026<br>ShareSave<br><br><br>[https://qtforu.com/@marlonstookey2 Helen CattPolitical] Editor, [http://weesen.info/index.php?title=Benutzer:BrandonHowland BBC South] East<br><br><br>A mother whose son took his own life after becoming [https://wiki.educom.nu/index.php?title=Gebruiker:Karl50V09481 addicted] to gaming is backing calls from MPs to treat the routine as a public health risk.<br><br><br>Lesley Wade, from [https://git.htns.com/iaiflorene4030 Minster] on the Isle of Sheppey, lost her "household orientated" and "enjoyable" son Aaron Armstrong aged 30 in 2014.<br><br><br>She stated it had actually taken her numerous years to comprehend that dependency indicated "the onus wasn't all on him" to stop betting.<br><br><br>The [http://49.233.21.66/alphonseservic Betting] and Gaming Council (BGC), the primary industry body, stated the "overwhelming bulk" of people who gamble do so "safely and properly".<br><br><br>'All gone'<br><br><br>Armstrong, who worked as a scaffolder, played in a swimming pool league and was a [https://ryan.functionandstrength.com/the-bet-naija-promo-code-this-2026-is-yohaig/ keen golfer].<br><br><br>He also liked football, [http://encyclobeedia.com/index.php?title=User:PatriciaWere521 frequently banking] on [http://git.cgkc.com/rachelsison515/the-bet9ja-promo-code-for-2026-is-yohaig/wiki/The+Bet9ja+promotion+code+this+2026+is+YOHAIG matches].<br><br><br>She stated her son [https://twinsinternational.com.et/Twins-Tutor/forums/topic/the-bet9ja-promotion-code-this-2026-is-yohaig/ increasingly] began to ask her for cash in 2013.<br><br><br>"I had not confessed to myself the quantity of money he was asking me for at various times," she stated.<br><br><br>She [https://1page.bio/heathwestw recalled] one celebration when it was his turn to spend for a Friday morning breakfast he frequently had with buddies.<br><br><br>Wade said: "He called me up and asked me if I might transfer some money to spend for the breakfast.<br><br><br>"He 'd just been paid that early morning and he had no money in his account. It was all gone."<br><br><br>She stated she now thinks he had been resting on the scaffolding, betting 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 help however, in 2014, he took his own life.<br><br><br>After her son's death, Wade discovered a number of emails from gambling companies providing incentives such as funded trips to see his preferred football group.<br><br><br>She stated: "I discovered that he had a deal of a complimentary bet for ₤ 1,000 and I believed we [http://47.102.149.673000/linneafurlong6 'd disallowed] him from all the [https://findmyproperties.xyz/author/rogerv10396243/ websites]. There were great deals of emails however that's the one that really protruded."<br><br><br>Public health issue<br><br><br>Wade later on met Sittingbourne and Sheppey MP Kevin McKenna, who has actually because made campaigning on gambling damages a concern.<br><br><br>He is now one of a variety of MPs, consisting of Worthing West's Dr Beccy Cooper, who are marketing for a modification in how society - and the government - techniques gambling.<br><br><br>McKenna said there were about 500 deaths by suicide associated 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 problem," he added.<br><br><br>It would shift the focus from individual responsibility to identifying it as a risk to the larger population as a whole.<br><br><br>Treating it as a public health concern could consist of actions like higher regulation of betting marketing and removing the most addicting products.<br><br><br>The Betting and Gaming Council said the "overwhelming bulk" of the 22.5 million people who wager in Britain did so "securely" and "properly".<br><br><br>According to a Gambling Commission report in 2024, Gambling Survey for Great Britain, 2.7% of grownups stated they had a betting issue.<br><br><br>The Conservative federal government introduced a review of gambling policy in 2023.<br><br><br>In 2025, the Gambling Commission gave individuals the right to more control over the direct marketing they receive from betting companies and introduced maximum stakes on online slot machines.<br><br><br>A federal government representative stated it was "acutely mindful" of the impact damaging gaming can have and said it was "devoted to strengthening defenses to secure those at risk".<br><br><br>It presented the statutory gambling levy which it referred to as a "major favorable step".<br><br><br>This puts a mandatory charge on licensed betting operators which will be used to money support and research into gambling addiction.<br><br><br>'Little bit of enjoyable'<br><br><br>Wade is now part of Gambling With Lives, a group formed by other bereaved parents that provides support to families, and projects to reform gambling laws.<br><br><br>Chair Charles Ritchie stated many of its members had lost somebody "very regular, happy, popular" who had "participated in betting believing it was a little bit of enjoyable".<br><br><br>"That's what we're all informed and then when you enter into trouble you're effectively told it's your fault and hear that also," he said.<br><br><br>He accused the market of promoting a story that it is "something wrong with the individual, a weak point or flaw in their character".<br><br><br>Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. 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