Bereaved Mum Backs Calls For Gambling Regulation

A mother from Kent whose child took his own life after becoming addicted to gambling is backing calls by MPs to treat gaming as a public health risk in a comparable method to drinking and smoking.


Lesley Wade, from Minster on the Isle of Sheppey, lost her kid Aaron Armstrong, whom she refers to as "household orientated", "enjoyable" and a "dazzling sportsman," in 2014.


She stated it had taken her numerous years to understand the nature of addiction which "the onus wasn't all on him" to stop betting.


The Betting and Gaming Council said the "overwhelming bulk" of who gamble do so "safely and responsibly."


4 February 2026


Minster (Isle of Sheppey)


Addiction