The sister of a football fan who died by suicide says that “predatory” gambling systems “consumed his mind”.
Oliver Long, 36, was discovered dead in East Sussex on 23 February 2024, having sent farewell messages to his loved ones just days prior.
Diagnosed with a “severe gambling addiction”, Mr Long resorted to using unlicensed overseas websites after attempting to self-exclude from other platforms.
East Sussex Coroner’s Court heard on Tuesday that his family believes “gambling had made him believe that he was better off dead” and they “firmly” attribute his death to the addiction.
Following the inquest, Mr Long’s sister, Chloe, criticised the Gambling Commission and the Government, claiming that they are “failing” in their duty to safeguard individuals from such harm.
Ms Long said: “Legislation is outdated, regulation is poor, enforcement is weak, and advertising, particularly in sport, is inescapable.
“Ollie was not ‘vulnerable’. He was human. His death was preventable. Gambling is not harmless entertainment; it is a public health crisis.”
Senior Coroner for East Sussex Laura Bradford recorded a short form conclusion of “suicide” and has ordered a prevention of future deaths report about unlicensed gambling.
“People may not be aware that they had moved outside of the protection afforded by the regulated area when accessing unlicensed gambling providers,” said Ms Bradford.
She added that while “significant work” has been undertaken, “more can be done” to highlight the risks of unlicensed gambling.
Mr Long, who was from Buckinghamshire but had lived in London since 2012, was a big Liverpool FC fan.
His sister described him as “intelligent, quick-witted and endlessly kind”, but said that “gambling took hold” and “consumed” him.
Ms Long said: “The gambling products he encountered were not harmless entertainment. They stripped away Ollie’s enjoyment of the game he loved so much.
“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.”
Mr Long began betting by winning £15,000 on his initial sign-up offer, and continued to bet and “do well” for six months before things went downhill.
He seemed to have self-excluded from UK gambling sites in 2022, before starting to use overseas unlicensed gambling sites which “target” people like him in 2023, the court heard.
His bank statements showed that his savings depleted by £20,000 in April 2023 alone, and his activity on these sites continued before his death.
At the height of his addiction, Mr Long lost his house, his job and split up with his long-term partner, the court heard.
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 like “GamStop”.The sister of a football fan who tragically died by suicide has asserted that “predatory” gambling systems “consumed his mind,” an inquest was told.
Oliver Long, 36, was discovered deceased in East Sussex on 23 February 2024, having sent farewell messages to his loved ones just days prior. Diagnosed with a “severe gambling addiction,” Mr Long resorted to using unlicensed overseas websites after attempting to self-exclude from regulated platforms.
East Sussex Coroner’s Court heard on Tuesday that his family believes “gambling had made him believe that he was better off dead,” stating they “firmly” attribute his death to the addiction. Following the inquest, Mr Long’s sister, Chloe, criticised the Gambling Commission and the Government, claiming they are “failing” in their duty to safeguard individuals from such harm.
He said that some of these sites are run by “criminal networks” who are involved with “terrorists and organised crime”.
“Because of our work we had over 81,000 individual URLs being removed from search engines, a lot of those will have been ‘not on GamStop’ sites,” said Mr Miller.
He said the Commission is “disappointed” that Meta is not being proactive in taking down these sites, and there is “much more” they could do.
However, legislation to give the Gambling Commission more power to require internet providers to deal with illegal sites is expected to come into force next year.
Mr Long had spent a weekend with his family the weekend before he died, before he travelled to an Airbnb the day he was set to begin a new job.
His death was recorded as “multiple injuries” said to have occurred after a fall from height in East Sussex.
Mr Long had struggled with depression and anxiety, which the court heard are “common” mental health problems associated with gambling.
He had also had a long history of cannabis use which he said he used to “numb” the pain of his addiction, and isolate himself, the court heard.
The Prevention of Future Deaths Report order will be sent to the Department of Health, Department of Education and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.
“The coroner’s Prevention of Future Deaths report confirms that action is needed urgently to address the risks posed by these platforms and to prevent further deaths,” said the family’s solicitor Dan Webster from Leigh Day.
A Gambling Commission spokesperson said: “Tackling unlicensed gambling requires a joined-up approach – between the Commission, other domestic and international regulators, GamStop, licensed operators, technology platforms, financial sectors and enforcement bodies – and we will continue to strengthen that collaboration to better protect consumers.
“Future changes will also enable us to continue to grow our efforts in tackling the unlicensed market.
“We welcome the commitment in the recent Budget to support our efforts to tackle illegal gambling. The investment of £26 million over the next three years will allow the Commission to build on and strengthen the work that we have already undertaken to disrupt illegal operators to protect consumers.
“In addition, the Government’s Crime and Policing Bill will grant the Commission greater powers to act to block IP addresses and domain names linked to illegal websites.”
If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
