4 February 2026

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Helen CattPolitical Editor, BBC South East

A mom whose son took his own life after ending up being addicted to gambling is backing calls from MPs to treat the routine as a public health threat.

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 understand that dependency indicated "the onus wasn't all on him" to stop gambling.

The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), the primary industry body, stated the "frustrating majority" of people who bet do so "securely and responsibly".

'All gone'

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

He likewise loved football, frequently betting on matches.

She stated her boy progressively began to ask her for cash in 2013.

"I hadn't confessed to myself the quantity of money he was asking me for at different times," she stated.

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

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

"He 'd simply been paid that 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 look for help however, in 2014, he took his own life.

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

She said: "I found that he had an offer of a complimentary bet for ₤ 1,000 and I believed we him from all the sites. There were lots of emails however that's the one that actually stuck out."

Public health concern

Wade later met Sittingbourne and Sheppey MP Kevin McKenna, who has considering that made marketing on betting damages a concern.

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

McKenna stated there had to do with 500 deaths by suicide related to betting a year in the country.

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

It would move the focus from specific duty to acknowledging it as a risk to the broader population as a whole.

Treating it as a public health issue might include actions like greater policy of betting marketing and removing the most addictive items.

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

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

The Conservative government introduced an evaluation of gaming regulation in 2023.

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

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

It presented the statutory gambling levy which it explained as a "significant favorable step".

This places a mandatory charge on licensed gaming operators which will be used to money assistance and research into gambling dependency.

'Little bit of enjoyable'

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

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

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

He implicated the industry of promoting a story that it is "something incorrect with the individual, a weak point or flaw in their character".

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