Betfair 'could have done more' to help gambling addict who took his own life, coroner says

Betfair "could have done more" to help a gambling addict who was making as many as 100 bets a day, before he took his own life, a coroner has said.

Father-of-two Luke Ashton had previously accumulated £18,000 in debts before he took his own life, the first inquest of its kind has heard.

Coroner Ivan Cartwright concluded at Leicester Coroner's Court that a gambling disorder contributed to his death.

Luke Ashton, 40, from Leicester, died in April 2021, after having longstanding problems with gambling, his wife, Annie, told the inquest.

He was described as a “happy” man who had no diagnosed mental health issues.

The hearing is thought to be the first time a gambling operator has been formally involved in an inquest.

It was attended by representatives of Flutter UK & Ireland, the parent company of the gambling operator Betfair, which was made an "interested person" at the inquest.

Ashton told the inquest her husband had a gambling addiction that he did not understand or recognise, and that it was causing him pain and harm.

He admitted to her that he had taken out loans and accumulated a debt of about £18,000 in 2019, she said.

Examinations of Ashton’s betting records showed he gambled up to 100 times a day, including early in the morning and late at night when his wife was in bed, the coroner, Ivan Cartwright, was told.

Prof Clare Gerada, the president of the Royal College of GPs, who specialises in addiction issues, told the inquest that Ashton put bets on greyhound racing and women’s netball.

In a report on his death, Gerada said Ashton was suffering with a “longstanding and pervasive gambling disorder” and not depression.

Mr Cartwright said: “Luke Ashton was assessed as a low risk gambler although his activity was more intensive in the 10 weeks prior to his death. The operator did not intervene or interact with Luke in any meaningful way.

Ian Brown, Chief Executive of Flutter UKI, which owns Betfair, said: " We wish to reiterate our sincere condolences to Mrs Ashton and her family. We are truly sorry for their loss.

"Flutter UKI is committed to doing the right thing and creating an environment for customers to enjoy our products in a safe and sustainable way.

"Over the past three years we have made significant changes to our controls, including mandatory deposit limits for customers who return to our sites after a period of self-exclusion.

"We hold ourselves to the absolute highest standards in the industry and we will, of course, incorporate additional learnings from this tragic case into our systems and processes."

Help and advice on problem gambling and how to block gambling software on your devices

Gordon Moody - offers residential courses for men and women who have problems with gambling – email help@gordonmoody.org.uk or call 01384 241292 to find out more.

GamCare - offers free information, support and counselling for problem gamblers in the UK. It runs the 24/7 free National Gambling Helpline (0808 8020 133) and al offers face-to-face counselling.

GambleAware - provides information to help people make informed decisions about their gambling.

Epic Restart Foundation - offers activities to equip those recovering from gambling harm with useful and constructive tools.