Bereaved Mum Backs Calls For Gambling Regulation

4 February 2026
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Helen CattPolitical Editor, BBC South East


A mother whose son took his own life after becoming addicted to gambling is backing calls from MPs to treat the practice 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 comprehend that dependency suggested "the onus wasn't all on him" to stop gambling.


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


'All gone'


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


He likewise liked football, often banking on matches.


She said her child progressively began to ask her for cash in 2013.


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


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


Wade stated: "He rang me up and asked me if I might transfer some cash to pay for the breakfast.


"He 'd just been paid that morning and he had no cash in his account. It was all gone."


She stated she now thinks he had been resting 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 son's death, Wade found a number of emails from gambling companies providing rewards such as funded journeys to see his favourite football group.


She stated: "I discovered that he had an offer of a totally free bet for ₤ 1,000 and I thought we 'd barred him from all the . There were lots of emails but that's the one that really stuck out."


Public health issue


Wade later met Sittingbourne and Sheppey MP Kevin McKenna, who has since made marketing on gambling harms a top priority.


He is now among a variety of MPs, including Worthing West's Dr Beccy Cooper, who are marketing for a modification in how society - and the government - techniques betting.


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


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


It would shift the focus from private responsibility to identifying it as a threat to the larger population as a whole.


Treating it as a public health issue could include actions like greater regulation of betting advertising and removing the most addicting products.


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


According to a Gambling Commission report in 2024, Gambling Survey for Great Britain, 2.7% of grownups stated they had a betting problem.


The Conservative federal government launched an evaluation of betting policy in 2023.


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


A federal government representative stated it was "acutely conscious" of the effect hazardous betting can have and said it was "dedicated to enhancing defenses to safeguard those at threat".


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


This places a necessary charge on certified gambling operators which will be utilized to fund support and research study into gambling dependency.


'Bit of enjoyable'


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


Chair Charles Ritchie stated the majority of its members had lost someone "really normal, delighted, popular" who had actually "gotten in into betting thinking it was a little bit of fun".


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


He implicated the industry of promoting a story that it is "something wrong with the individual, a weakness or defect in their character".


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