Coroner's Inquest Reveals Tragic Impact of Illegal Gambling on Liverpool Fan
A coroner has determined that a 36-year-old Liverpool fan took his own life after being drawn into illegal online gambling to bet on football matches.
Oliver Long passed away in February 2024 in East Sussex, following a struggle with a severe gambling addiction, as revealed during an inquest.
Chloe Long, Oliver's sister, testified in court that he made multiple attempts to quit gambling and had registered with GamStop, a self-exclusion program designed for individuals with online gambling issues.
While GamStop blocks access to licensed gambling websites and applications, Oliver was targeted by unlicensed overseas sites, leading him to resume gambling.
During the hearing at East Sussex Coroner's Court, it was reported that Long lost his job, his apartment, and a five-year relationship due to his gambling addiction.
His bank statements indicated a staggering loss of £20,000 in April 2023 alone.
Coroner Laura Bradford expressed concern that many individuals may not fully understand the risks associated with illegal gambling sites, stating that "more could be done to highlight the dangers posed by such platforms."
‘Highly Addictive Systems Designed to Exploit’
During the proceedings, Chloe Long stated, "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."
In an interview with the BBC, she added, "Ollie’s gambling was exclusively on football, which was one of his greatest passions. He was a devoted Liverpool fan, and we know that an early significant win was particularly detrimental for him."
She revealed that Oliver sent farewell messages to his family in the days leading up to his death, stating in one note that he felt he could no longer escape his gambling problem, which made him feel like a bad person and a burden to his loved ones.
The court learned that despite his efforts to quit gambling, including volunteering as a peer supporter for others affected by gambling addiction, Oliver resumed betting in April 2023, this time on illegal gambling sites that were not blocked by GamStop.
The term "Not on GamStop" was discussed, indicating a widespread online phenomenon where a simple search would lead consumers to numerous unregulated black market gambling sites that evade UK regulations.
Tim Miller, executive director of the Gambling Commission, testified that these sites are "deliberately seeking to target individuals who are already experiencing harm," and are marketed to bypass UK self-exclusion measures like GamStop. He warned that some of these platforms are operated by criminal networks linked to organized crime and terrorism.
Miller added, "Through our efforts, we have removed over 81,000 individual URLs from search engines, many of which were associated with 'Not on GamStop' sites."