\u2022 How can a nurse gamble away \u00a3200,000, minister asks<\/a><\/p>\n In a note addressed to his parents and sister, he said that it was the shame of gambling that had led him to do it. Rosie Evans, his mother, said: \u201cHe couldn\u2019t cope any more. He must have felt he had no hope and he just couldn\u2019t face us all and ask for more help.<\/p>\n \u201cIt must have been so hard struggling with the anxieties and the fight against the pull of online gambling<\/a>. We had such happy family times and he had wonderful friends who knew little of his struggles.\u201d<\/p>\n The inquest on Wednesday will mark the conclusion of their four-year fight to gain official confirmation that gambling addiction<\/a> caused, or was a significant factor in, his death.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are few records of gambling deaths,\u201d his mother said. \u201cWe have had to go to such lengths to get a diagnosis, to get a statistic, and to let people know that gambling kills. People have to know that there really are people dying, and not enough is being done. We must all work harder to stop young people being lured into this terrible addiction.\u201d<\/p>\n Rosie and Tony Evans<\/p>\n LUCY YOUNG FOR THE TIMES<\/p>\n Gareth\u2019s family knew nothing about his gambling until 2013 when he sought financial help from them. His mother and father, Tony, a retired business development director, agreed to clear his debts, while their son agreed to attend Gamblers Anonymous meetings, share bank login details and start therapy at the London Gambling Clinic.<\/p>\n He went through \u201cups and downs\u201d with relapses over the next few years, although most of their understanding of the depth of his problem was gleaned from bank statements after his death.<\/p>\n He underwent treatment offered by the NHS, but the family said it was limited, so he sought help from private consultants. \u201cWe had no idea how this addiction was caused and we didn\u2019t know what help was out there,\u201d his mother said. \u201cNobody talked about it. He didn\u2019t talk about it.\u201d<\/p>\n During the pandemic, he was placed on furlough from his job. Forced to stay at home in lockdown, his smartphone gambling escalated with long betting sessions into the early hours.<\/p>\n He bet on sports, usually tennis, and most of his gambling during Covid was with William Hill, which offered him free bet promotions. Only on one occasion was he sent an automated \u201cresponsible gambling\u201d email to check he was comfortable with his losses.<\/p>\n Susannah Chambers, his sister, said: \u201cThey didn\u2019t step in when they should have done,\u201d claiming that there was not enough regulation or safeguarding. \u201cThe markers for harm should be flagged sooner and they should be flagged to a person.\u201d<\/p>\n Susannah Chambers, Gareth\u2019s sister, with her parents<\/p>\n LUCY YOUNG FOR THE TIMES<\/p>\n Gareth barred himself from online gambling<\/a> in October 2020, using Gamstop\u2019s tool to \u201cself-exclude\u201d, but even this significant step was not enough. He started withdrawing large sums of cash from an ATM next to a William Hill bookmakers, near his home, which bank statements show continued in the days before his death.<\/p>\n His family later found that he had lost tens of thousands of pounds in the 18 months before his death. This included a number of sizeable personal loans from HSBC, paid out in August 2021, despite his years of gambling losses being visible to the bank.<\/p>\n The family said that in the four years since his death, much had been achieved. The NHS has opened 14 gambling clinics nationwide since 2019 and numerous organisations offered peer support, training for doctors and prevention strategies.<\/p>\n \u2022 Dominic Lawson: Time to tackle football\u2019s gambling predators<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cPlease be aware that gambling hijacks your brain,\u201d Mrs Evans said. \u201cIt is an illness and you must seek treatment at the earliest stage. Don\u2019t think your loved one is just being weak. They have simply fallen prey to the dangers and evils of gambling.\u201d<\/p>\n William Hill has faced regulatory action in recent years. In 2023, the gambling commission ordered it to pay a record \u00a319.2 million for \u201cwidespread and alarming\u201d social responsibility and anti-money laundering failures, although Gareth\u2019s case was not part of the regulator\u2019s investigations.<\/p>\n![\"Rosie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/\/c8a63e0c-0a24-47dd-a1e4-15e0cd563904.jpg\")
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