Role of coroners, sportsbooks in gambling addict suicides
Published:
Jan 22, 2025
,
07:33 p.m.
ET
Key Points
UK Coroners establish cause of death and if there are other responsible parties involved
The UK Gambling Commission has little regulatory interference with sportsbooks
Sportsbook safeguards to deter gambling addiction are not highly effective
Gambling addiction can lead to higher rates of suicidality and substance abuse
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Gambling Addiction has become one of the fastest growing addictions, specifically since the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2018 Supreme Court ruling that allowed states to legalize sports gambling. It is estimated that 1.2% of the World’s population suffers from gambling addiction, with even more cases likely remaining undiagnosed due to the ease of hiding gambling behaviors from loved ones.
One of the latest topics regarding gambling addiction in the UK is the role that the Gambling Commission, sportsbooks and coroners play in gambling-related suicides. Families of individuals who died by suicide and were addicted to gambling are left to fight for accountability and regulation change as more are at risk of suicide from uncontrolled gambling addiction.
What is a coroner in the UK?
A coroner is a public official that works within a specific geographical jurisdiction and is in charge of making inquiries into a death, determining a specific cause of death and completing certificates of death. A coroner’s position is either elected or appointed and does not necessarily need to have medical experience to obtain the position. Coroners are often lawyers or law enforcement professionals who, depending on the circumstances surrounding a death, may involve a medical examiner or forensic pathologist to help determine certain aspects of a death.
Coroners’ connection to Gambling Addiction suicidality
Coroners are responsible for deciding if a death is due to natural causes, accidental reasons, suicide, homicide, undetermined reasons or circumstances and if there was foul play involved. A coroner holds a crucial role in determining what or who may be at fault for someone’s death. In the case of the suicide of an individual who suffered from gambling addiction, many friends and family members left behind by the tragedy are looking for someone to take accountability for these deaths.
Families of those who have died by suicide with gambling addiction have spoken out about the unwillingness of coroners to attach the gambling industry or gambling addiction to these suicides. An article in The Guardian highlighted how multiple inquests to coroners in relation to suicides that involved gambling addiction were not supported and often overlooked as a potential contributing factor in multiple suicides.
Sportsbooks’ and the UK Gambling Commission’s accountability in Gambling Addiction-related suicides
The Guardian spoke to multiple family members of those who lost their lives due to uncontrolled gambling addiction. Annie Ashton, the widow of a man who died by suicide after struggling with a gambling addiction, blames the Gambling Commission for their lack of investigation into sports betting companies and their tactics to keep bettors coming back and demands them to be held responsible for their continued role in gambling addiction.
Mrs. Ashton’s case was made famous as it was the first of its kind. The coroner in her husband's death named the gambler operator Flutter, the parent company of Betfair, an “interested person” in the case's proceedings. The coroner stated that Betfair failed to address or intervene in Mr. Ashton’s chronic gambling habits on their app prior to his suicide. There are questions as to why the betting apps algorithm created to protect vulnerable users did not flag Mr. Ashton’s betting habits, which grew to over 100 bets per day prior to his death. The company had his level of betting behavior deemed “low-risk”. Evidence was provided that found only 2.1% of Betfair users received human interaction based on their gambling habits, despite 18% of its users being deemed at risk.
This case was the first to rule gambling disorder as a contributing factor to someone’s death. A prevention of future deaths notice was issued to Flutter in July of 2024, but so far there have been no sanctions against Flutter or formal investigation by the Gambling Commission into the coroner's allegations.
For more on this topic of sportsbooks’ legal responsibilities, check out:
Operators have no duty to stop Problem Gamblers from betting?
Why are sports betting and gambling hard to quit?
Gambling can have a powerful effect on the brain that makes it incredibly difficult to stop. Gambling activities can lead to bursts of endorphin production that activate the reward center of the brain. When this occurs, the brain begins to crave more of these “feel-good” hormones and can make stopping these activities hard to do.
Gambling addiction is often seen as a “hidden” addiction and hard to identify, as there are less outward and physical signs or symptoms. Compulsive gambling is estimated to impact 2-4 million U.S adults per year and can cause physical, mental and emotional health issues including an increased risk of suicide and substance abuse.
What help is available for gambling addiction?
While the devastating effects of gambling addiction can impact both those suffering from it and their families or friends (“affected individuals”), there is hope for those who are looking to overcome their addiction. Treatment for gambling addiction depends on the severity of one's symptoms, and common options range from inpatient treatment, outpatient services, virtual therapy or support groups.
Birches Health specializes in virtual Gambling Addiction treatment and offers:
Individual counseling
Virtual group sessions
Workshops
Self-assessment tests
Coping strategies
Relapse prevention techniques
Birches Health offers the following ways to get started:
Call 833-483-3838
Email help@bircheshealth.com
