4 February 2026
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Helen CattPolitical Editor, BBC South East
A mom whose boy took his own life after ending up being addicted to betting is backing calls from MPs to deal with the practice as a public health danger.
Lesley Wade, from Minster on the Isle of Sheppey, lost her "family orientated" and "enjoyable" kid Aaron Armstrong aged 30 in 2014.
She stated it had actually taken her lots of years to comprehend that addiction implied "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 people who bet do so "safely and properly".
'All gone'
Armstrong, who worked as a scaffolder, played in a pool league and was an eager golf player.
He likewise enjoyed football, often banking on matches.
She stated her boy significantly 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 said.
She remembered one event when it was his turn to spend for a Friday early morning breakfast he frequently had with pals.
Wade stated: "He rang me up and asked me if I could move some money to spend for the breakfast.
"He 'd simply been paid that early morning and he had no cash in his account. It was all gone."
She stated she now thinks he had actually been resting on the scaffolding, betting on his phone.
Armstrong's relationship with his partner broke down and he was asked to leave his flat.
The scaffolder went on to seek help but, in 2014, he took his own life.
After her son's death, Wade found a number of emails from betting companies using incentives such as funded trips to see his favourite football group.
She stated: "I found that he had an offer of a complimentary bet for ₤ 1,000 and I believed we 'd disallowed him from all the websites. There were lots of emails however that's the one that really stuck out."
Public health problem
Wade later on met Sittingbourne and Sheppey MP Kevin McKenna, who has actually given that made marketing on betting harms a concern.
He is now among a variety of MPs, including Worthing West's Dr Beccy Cooper, who are campaigning for a change in how society - and the federal government - methods betting.
McKenna said there were about 500 deaths by suicide related to gambling a year in the nation.
"If it was anything else we 'd be looking at it as a public health issue," he included.
It would move the focus from specific responsibility to identifying it as a threat to the broader population as a whole.
Treating it as a public health concern might include actions like higher guideline of gambling advertising and eliminating the most addictive items.
The Betting and Gaming Council said the "frustrating bulk" of the 22.5 million people who wager in Britain did so "securely" and "properly".
According to a Gambling Commission report in 2024, Gambling Survey for Great Britain, 2.7% of grownups stated they had a gaming problem.
The Conservative federal government released an evaluation of betting policy in 2023.
In 2025, the Gambling Commission gave individuals the right to more control over the direct marketing they get from gambling companies and presented optimal stakes on online slots.
A government spokesperson stated it was "acutely conscious" of the effect hazardous gambling can have and said it was "committed to reinforcing securities to protect those at threat".
It introduced the statutory betting levy which it referred to as a "major favorable action".
This places an obligatory charge on licensed gaming operators which will be utilized to fund support and research study into gambling 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 betting laws.
Chair Charles Ritchie said the majority of its members had lost somebody "really normal, delighted, popular" who had actually "participated in gambling believing it was a little bit of fun".
"That's what we're all informed and then when you enter trouble you're effectively told it's your fault and households hear that as well," he stated.
He accused the industry of promoting a narrative that it is "something incorrect with the person, a weakness or defect in their character".
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