Bereaved Mum Backs Require Gambling Regulation

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4 February 2026
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Helen CattPolitical Editor, BBC South East


A mother whose kid took his own life after becoming addicted to gaming is backing calls from MPs to deal with the routine as a public health threat.


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 taken her several years to comprehend that addiction implied "the onus wasn't all on him" to stop gambling.


The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), the main market body, stated the "overwhelming majority" of people who gamble do so "safely and responsibly".


'All gone'


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


He also liked football, typically banking on matches.


She said her boy 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 stated.


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


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


"He 'd just 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 look for aid however, in 2014, he took his own life.


After her son's death, Wade discovered a number of emails from gambling firms offering rewards such as funded trips to see his preferred football team.


She said: "I discovered that he had an offer of a free bet for ₤ 1,000 and I thought we 'd barred him from all the websites. There were lots of e-mails however that's the one that really protruded."


Public health problem


Wade later satisfied Sittingbourne and Sheppey MP Kevin McKenna, who has given that made marketing on betting damages a top priority.


He is now one of a number of MPs, consisting of Worthing West's Dr Beccy Cooper, who are marketing for a change in how society - and the federal government - methods gambling.


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


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


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


Treating it as a public health issue might consist of actions like greater regulation of betting marketing and removing the most addictive products.


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


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


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


In 2025, the Gambling Commission gave individuals the right to more control over the direct marketing they receive from gambling companies and introduced optimal stakes on online slots.


A federal government representative stated it was "acutely aware" of the effect harmful gambling can have and stated it was "dedicated to enhancing protections to secure those at threat".


It introduced the statutory gaming levy which it described as a "significant positive action".


This positions a compulsory charge on certified gaming operators which will be utilized to money support and research into betting addiction.


'Bit of fun'


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


Chair Charles Ritchie said the majority of its members had lost someone "extremely regular, delighted, popular" who had "entered into betting thinking it was a little fun".


"That's what we're all informed and then when you enter into you're effectively told it's your fault and families hear that as well," he said.


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


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