Tag Archives: Gambling with lives

GWL confirms Prochaska exit as Strategy Director

SBC News GWL confirms Prochaska exit as Strategy Director

Gambling with Lives (GWL) has announced that Will Prochaska has resigned as Strategy Director of the charity and reform group representing the families of those bereaved by gambling-related suicides. As announced this weekend, “Will Prochaska is leaving to operate as an independent advisor on gambling harm initiatives, a move that reflects his continued commitment to tackling the harm caused by …

Read More »

Lucy Frazer: The voices of Gambling Suicide must be heard

SBC News Lucy Frazer: The voices of Gambling Suicide must be heard

DCMS new Culture Secretary, Lucy Frazer, has stated that those impacted by gambling-related suicides must be accounted for in reforming the UK gambling industry. Three weeks into her new ministerial role as DCMS leader, Frazer spoke at a meeting with industry reformists Gambling with Lives, who were described as “tireless and devoted champions” – leading a transformative campaign that has …

Read More »

GWL letter turns heat on Sunak to reform RET duties

SBC News GWL letter turns heat on Sunak to reform RET duties

Gambling with Lives (GWL) has handed PM Rishi Sunak a letter signed by six mothers bereaved of their children by gambling-related suicide.  The mothers handed the letter to the PM at Downing Street, accompanied by leading reformist Sir Iain Duncan Smith (MP), demanding that the “gambling industry should not control research, education or treatment” of problem gambling in the UK.  …

Read More »

SGWeek mocked as a ‘cringe campaign’ by Gambling with Lives

SBC News SGWeek mocked as a 'cringe campaign' by Gambling with Lives

Safer Gambling Week (#SGWeek2022) has been branded a ‘yearly deception’ which takes place every October by Gambling with Lives (GWL). The charity and reform group representing families bereaved by gambling-related suicide has called on MPs to ignore the industry-funded campaign that deflects from the real causes of gambling harms. Writing an op-ed on Commons news source PoliticsHome, GWL Strategy Director …

Read More »

Big Step calls on Premier League to ‘do the right thing’ as govt ‘delays the inevitable’

SBC News Big Step calls on Premier League to ‘do the right thing’ as govt ‘delays the inevitable’

Gambling with Lives’ Big Step campaign has penned an open letter to the Premier League’s 20 clubs ahead of a vote on the future of betting shirt sponsorships.  The top-flight is due to make its decision in September, with the ballot initially scheduled for this month before being delayed due to the collapse of Boris Johnson’s government, which itself has …

Read More »

Newsnight places gambling reform conflicts under the spotlight

SBC News Newsnight places gambling reform conflicts under the spotlight

Last night, the long-awaited conclusion of the UK government’s review of the gambling industry was put under the spotlight by Newsnight – the BBC’s flagship news and current affairs review programme. Dedicating a 30-minute segment to “the government’s rethink of gambling laws”, Newsnight reported on the “cost of gambling addiction and opportunities for reform”.  Led by BBC correspondent Anna Collison, …

Read More »

Andrew Rhodes criticised for no engagement with bereaved families of gambling harms

SBC News Andrew Rhodes criticised for no engagement with bereaved families of gambling harms

Gambling With Lives has publicly called-out UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) Chief Executive Andrew Rhodes for finding no time to communicate with the families bereaved by gambling suicide.  The Charity that seeks a root-and-branch reform of UK gambling focused on suicide prevention told the Daily Mail that Rhodes had made no attempt to engage with families of suicides attributed to gambling …

Read More »

Big Step clubs call for the government to end football’s relationship with betting   

SBC News Big Step clubs call for the government to end football’s relationship with betting   

UK Gambling reform campaign The Big Step has submitted a joint-letter signed by the directors and executives of twenty English football clubs to DCMS, demanding that gambling advertising and sponsorship have no presence in football. Comprising English Football League (EFL) and non-league clubs, the group underlined its support for The Big Step’s campaign to “kick gambling out of football” citing …

Read More »

David Clifton: Licensing Expert – The story behind a tragic story

SBC News David Clifton: Licensing Expert - The story behind a tragic story

As previously reported by SBC News, a two-week-long inquest into the death of Jack Ritchie, a 24-year old English teacher with a long-standing gambling disorder, ended on 4 March 2022 with the coroner concluding that ‘warnings, information and treatment’ for problem gamblers had been ‘woefully inadequate and failed to meet Jack’s needs’. Paul Greaney QC, who was instructed to represent …

Read More »

Coroner to share inquest findings of ‘woeful’ treatment provision

SBC News Coroner to share inquest findings of ‘woeful’ treatment provision

The coroner investigating the suicide of a 24-year-old problem gambler Jack Ritchie has said that he will be writing to a number of government departments with warnings about how future deaths can be prevented, with a particular focus on the need for more training for GPs about gambling disorders. Sheffield coroner David Urpeth said Ritchie’s death in Vietnam in November …

Read More »