Regulatory authorities and top iGaming industry stakeholders have called for a renewed crackdown on VPNs which allow compulsive bettors to swerve controls on dangerous and illegal gambling websites; following the tragic suicide of 36-year-old Oliver Long.
An inquest into the death of Long concluded yesterday (January 13) that the keen Liverpool F.C. supporter, who lived in East Sussex, in the south of England, took his own life after he ran up massive debts by gambling on football matches, using illicit sites.
Long died in February 2024 after “suffering with a severe gambling addiction”, East Sussex Coroner’s Court in Lewes was told.
Today, in response to the tragedy, the UK’s regulatory Gambling Commission (UKGC) told iGamingFuture:
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of Oliver Long and our thoughts are with his family and loved ones.
“The targeting of vulnerable people by illegal gambling operators is a criminal act.
“Unlicensed operators deliberately seek to evade protections such as GamStop and can pose serious risks to consumers.
“We are also working with domain registrars, hosting providers, social media platforms and international partners to suspend domains, disrupt payment flows, tackle aggressive marketing and prevent illegal sites from being accessed from Great Britain.
“Alongside that we have active prosecutions currently going through the criminal justice system.”
GamStop
The UK’s Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) has estimated that between 117 and 496 gambling-related suicides occur in England every year.
Perhaps the most prominent scheme to combat online gambling addiction is the self-excluding GamStop programme run by the GamCare charity.
Long’s sister, Chloe, told the coroner’s court that her brother had tried to stop gambling many times, even signing-up to GamStop.
But always his resolve would be undermined by the lure of off-shore sites, accessible through VPNs (Virtual Private Networks).
In April 2023, for example, Long lost around £20,000 gambling on football outcomes on nefarious platforms. He lost his job, his home and personal relationships were impacted, the court was told.
Responding to iGamingFuture, a spokesperson from GamStop said: “We would like to extend our sincere condolences to the family of Mr Long.
“It is disgraceful that unscrupulous, unregulated operators are trying to entice the most vulnerable individuals to start gambling again.
“Since its inception in 2018, more than 600,000 users have registered for self-exclusion and GamStop has a proven track record in effectively blocking access to all UK licensed sites.
“We can confirm that GamStop registration does not create any persistent digital identifiers or traceable markers. The process is designed to operate without leaving a digital footprint that could be exploited.
As a result, there is no mechanism for unlicensed or black-market operators to identify or target individuals based on their registration status.
“Research shows that 92 percent of those registered have never used unlicensed or illegal gambling operators.
“However, we know ‘Not on GamStop’ sites are designed to lure them into gambling, and we have been warning for several years that this requires urgent action.”
Targeting Harm
During her summation, Coroner Laura Bradford asserted that “more could be done to highlight risks posed by illegal gambling sites”.
The threat of illegal iGaming sites is “a threat that we take seriously”, the UKGC underlined to iGF.
“Since April 2024, our Illegal Markets team has issued more than 3,100 cease-and-desist and disruption notices, referred nearly 450,000 illegal URLs to search engines, and achieved almost 290,000 removals.
“Tackling unlicensed gambling requires a joined-up approach–between the Commission, other domestic and international regulators, GamStop, licensed operators, technology platforms, financial sectors and enforcement bodies–and we will continue to strengthen that collaboration to better protect consumers.
“Future changes will also enable us to continue to grow our efforts in tackling the unlicensed market.
“We welcome the commitment in the recent Budget to support our efforts to tackle illegal gambling.
“The investment of £26 million (US$34.96m) over the next three-years will allow the Commission to build on and strengthen the work that we have already undertaken to disrupt illegal operators to protect consumers.
“In addition, the Government’s Crime and Policing Bill will grant the Commission greater powers to act to block IP addresses and domain names linked to illegal websites.”
Tim Miller, Executive Director of the Gambling Commission, told the court these sites were “deliberately seeking to target people who are already experiencing harm.
“Some of these sites are run by criminal networks who are involved with terrorists and organised crime,” he said.
With additional reporting by Lauren Harrison
