Inquiry into death
A UK Gambling Commission executive has slammed Facebook parent Meta for its “disappointing” failure to crack down on illegal online casino ads after a soccer fan took his own life.
battling gambling addiction for eight years
The UKGC’s Executive Director of Research and Policy, Tim Miller, made the comments on Tuesday after the East Sussex coroner’s court released details of an inquiry into the February 2024 death of Ollie Long. According to The Guardian, the coroner’s report revealed that the inquiry was told Long had been battling gambling addiction for eight years after he got hooked by winning a £15,000 ($20,173) soccer bet via a sign-up offer.
Long’s sister, Chloe, told the inquiry that the iGaming sites her brother used were “highly addictive, predatory systems designed to exploit.”
The East Sussex court heard the sites included were illegal offshore operators that target UK customers who have self-excluded themselves via the UK’s GamStop scheme.
The offshore offenders allegedly promoted their products online using phrases such as “Not on GamStop.”
UKGC points finger
Miller slammed Meta for failing to take down “Not on GamStop” ads.
Miller stated the actions of Meta’s social media firms were “slightly disappointing” because they were “choosing not to” take down ads unless being requested to do so.
The UKGC exec also told the court the offending sites were “deliberately seeking to target people who are already experiencing harm” and were set up to “prey on” such people.
According to The Guardian, Long bet on licensed UK sportsbooks Bet365, SkyBet, and Betfred, but after realizing he had a problem, he started getting treatment for gambling addiction and self-excluded with GamStop.
Multiple factors
In the last months before his death, Long made over 50 bets with what reports state were illegal iCasinos, via payment providers in Sweden and Nigeria.
East Sussex Senior Coroner Laura Bradford, however, declined to list gambling as a cause of Long’s death.
Bradford instead said that cannabis use was also relevant as a factor in Long’s death, and pronounced the cause of death was “multiple injuries and that Long had died by suicide.”
