Tragedy in London
A man from London, England struggling with a gambling addiction placed bets every six seconds the day he took his own life, an inquest has heard.
placing over 7,500 bets a month
Lee Adams, 36, died in July 2020 in the midst of a gambling addiction that had seen him lose over a month’s wages on that same day after placing over 7,500 bets a month.
Adams had won a significant sum gambling before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but quickly lost the money as he spiraled into the depths of addiction, family members told Southwark Coroners Court.
Spiraling addiction
Described as a talented musician and artist who was eventually “consumed” by gambling, Adams’ mental health began deteriorating in March 2019 after going through a breakup, according to his cousin Natalie Ashbolt.
At that point, Adams began gambling heavily, and landed a win of £95,000 ($130,000) on the Virgin Games app, telling family members he was planning to use the winnings to put down a deposit on a property.
However, a month later, he told Ashbolt that he only had enough money to rent, having lost the vast majority of his winnings, and was forced to ask astonished family members to borrow money.
I said the win would turn out to be the best or the worst thing to happen to him”
“He said he only had enough for a deposit for renting,” said Ashbolt. That was a real eye-opener for how much he had lost in previous weeks. I said the win would turn out to be the best or the worst thing to happen to him. He said he asked the company he was gambling with to block [his account].
“It became clear he was really struggling. He was beating himself up about how much he had lost from this win. It was clear how his gambling was controlling him at this time. He was blaming and torturing himself about the money he had lost.”
Emergency services criticized
On the day he died, Adams placed an average of one bet every six seconds for over an hour, before making a call to emergency services and taking an overdose.
The London Ambulance Service is also an interested party in the inquest, as family members are critical of the response to the emergency call. Rather than forcing entry into the property, paramedics waited around 18 minutes after arriving for police to arrive to break into Adams’ home.
Did you not think, ‘There is someone inside who has taken an overdose and I am just standing here?’”
In a statement to the inquest, barrister Jesse Nicholls stated: “There are sounds that sound like vomiting, he doesn’t know if he can stay awake, he’s alone in the property and he’s losing his sight…You are waiting for 18 minutes. Did you not think, ‘There is someone inside who has taken an overdose and I am just standing here waiting?’ There is nothing to suggest any risk in forcing entry; the upside would be saving a life, wouldn’t it?”
