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 said her brother had been “targeted by these illicit, illegal black market sites”, which 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 recognised 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. And I’m just so concerned of the risk this poses to other people.”
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She said her family was “disappointed” the coroner had not included gambling disorder in Mr Long’s medical cause of death, but vowed to continue to advocate 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Chloe said the Gambling Commission was “not doing enough” to prevent problem online gambling, and must review “outdated” legislation which predated the smart phone.
“I think its 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 how 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.”
The Gambling Commission said: “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.
“Unlicensed operators deliberately seek to evade protections such as GamStop and can pose serious risks to consumers.”
Chloe said the gambling industry had exploited Mr Long’s love of football and “deliberately lured him in and taught him to hate himself”, leaving him convinced he was “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 said her brother’s death had 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.”
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Mr Long seemed to have opted to exclude himself from UK gambling sites in 2022 before he started to use 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.
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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 said that some of these sites are run by “criminal networks” who are involved with “terrorists and organised crime”.
:: Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email [email protected] in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK
