Sister demands action on illegal betting sites after gambler’s suicide

Call for Review of Gambling Laws After Tragic Death

The sister of a man who died by suicide after black market betting sites “deliberately lured him in” has called for the Gambling Commission to review existing laws.

Warning: This story contains descriptions some readers may find distressing, including references to self-harm and suicide.

Oliver Long, 36, was found dead in East Sussex on 23 February last year after a battle with gambling addiction, an inquest heard on Tuesday.

His sister, Chloe, said he had tried “so desperately to help (himself)” by self-excluding from online gambling sites, but later started using unlicensed sites from outside the UK.

Chloe stated her brother had been “targeted by these illicit, illegal black market sites,” which she believes were ultimately to blame for his death.

“Ollie’s experience was horrendous because he was trying his absolute best to try and help himself. He recognized that he was experiencing significant harm from gambling,” she said after the hearing.

“And he wanted to help himself by self-excluding, and unfortunately he was targeted by these illicit, illegal black market sites. I’m just so concerned about the risk this poses to other people,” she added.

She expressed disappointment that the coroner did not include gambling disorder in Mr. Long’s medical cause of death but vowed to continue advocating for change in his memory.

Mr. Long had been diagnosed with a “severe gambling addiction,” but senior coroner for East Sussex Laura Bradford recorded a short form conclusion of “suicide.”

Chloe criticized the Gambling Commission for “not doing enough” to prevent problem online gambling and urged a review of “outdated” legislation that predates smartphones.

“I think it’s important they acknowledge the scale of the issue and the fact there is so much being done by these illegal operators to actively target the most vulnerable groups, those who have self-excluded and underaged children,” she said.

“So they need to do significantly more in terms of having a more impactful strategy for enforcement,” she added.

The Gambling Commission stated: “We are deeply saddened by the loss of Oliver Long and our thoughts are with his family and loved ones.”

“The targeting of vulnerable people by illegal gambling operators is a criminal act,” they continued.

“Unlicensed operators deliberately seek to evade protections such as GamStop and can pose serious risks to consumers.”

Chloe claimed the gambling industry exploited Mr. Long’s love of football and “deliberately lured him in and taught him to hate himself,” leaving him feeling “immoral and a failure.”

“They were highly addictive, predatory systems designed to exploit. And they did. They stole from Ollie – not only his money, but his peace, his future, and ultimately, his life,” she said.

She mentioned that her brother’s death left a “hole” in her family.

“(He was) such a kind, generous, loving person, and we have a really, really close family,” Chloe said.

“He adored his nephews, his five young nephews, and he was just great fun to have around. He was always the life and soul of the party … It’s just such a hole in our family not having him anymore,” she added.

Mr. Long seemed to have opted to exclude himself from UK gambling sites in 2022 before he started using overseas unlicensed gambling sites in 2023, the court heard.

His bank statements showed that his savings depleted by £20,000 in April 2023 alone.

At the height of his addiction, Mr. Long lost his house, his job, and separated from his long-term partner.

Mr. Long had spent a weekend with his family the week before he died and wrote farewell notes to them in the days before.

The court heard he had struggled with depression and anxiety and used cannabis to “numb” the pain of his addiction.

Tim Miller, the executive director of the Gambling Commission, told the coroner that these sites are “deliberately seeking to target people who are already experiencing harm,” and marketing themselves to circumvent UK self-exclusion tools like “GamStop.”

He added that some of these sites are run by “criminal networks” involved with “terrorists and organized crime.”