Bereaved Mum Backs Require Gambling Regulation

4 February 2026
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Helen CattPolitical Editor, BBC South East


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


Lesley Wade, from Minster on the Isle of Sheppey, lost her "household orientated" and "enjoyable" kid Aaron Armstrong aged 30 in 2014.


She said it had taken her several years to understand that addiction implied "the onus wasn't all on him" to stop betting.


The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), the main market body, said the "frustrating bulk" of individuals who gamble do so "securely and properly".


'All gone'


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


He likewise loved football, frequently wagering on matches.


She stated her son progressively began to ask her for money in 2013.


"I hadn't admitted to myself the amount of cash he was asking me for at various times," she said.


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


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


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


She said she now thinks he had been sitting 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 discovered a number of emails from gambling firms offering incentives such as funded journeys to see his favourite football group.


She said: "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 great deals of emails but that's the one that truly stood out."


Public health problem


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


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


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


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


It would move the focus from individual duty to identifying it as a danger to the larger population as a whole.


Treating it as a public health concern might consist of actions like higher regulation of betting marketing and getting rid of the most addictive products.


The Betting and Gaming Council stated the "frustrating majority" of the 22.5 million individuals 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 adults stated they had a gaming issue.


The Conservative federal government released a review of gaming policy in 2023.


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


A federal government representative said it was "acutely conscious" of the effect harmful betting can have and stated it was "committed to reinforcing protections to secure those at danger".


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


This positions an obligatory charge on certified betting operators which will be used to money assistance and research study into gambling dependency.


'Bit of fun'


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


Chair Charles Ritchie said the majority of its members had lost somebody "very typical, happy, popular" who had "gotten in into betting believing it was a bit of fun".


"That's what we're all informed and then when you enter difficulty you're successfully told it's your fault and families hear that also," he stated.


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


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