A football fan who died by suicide believed he would be “better off dead”, and “predatory” gambling websites had “consumed his mind”, his family told an inquest.
Oliver Long, 36, died in East Sussex on 23 February 2024 after sending farewell messages to his family a few days earlier.
Long, from Buckinghamshire, was a keen Liverpool FC fan, but the inquest heard “gambling took hold” and stripped away his enjoyment of the game he loved.
Laura Bradford, senior coroner for East Sussex, recorded a short-form conclusion of suicide and said she would be sending a report about unlicensed gambling to the government.
The inquest was told that Long had been diagnosed with a “severe gambling addiction” and started using unlicensed overseas sites.
His family said that “gambling had made him believe that he was better off dead”, and they blamed it for his death.
In a pen portrait read in court by his sister, Chloe Long, he was described as “intelligent, quick-witted and endlessly kind”, but that “gambling took hold” of him.
She said: “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.”
Long began betting by winning £15,000 on his initial sign-up offer, and continued to bet successfully for six months before things went downhill.
He appeared to have self-excluded from UK licensed gambling sites in 2022, meaning he had told betting companies not to give him access, but he then started using unlicensed overseas sites which target people such as him, the court heard.
Long’s bank statements showed that his savings depleted by £20,000 in April 2023 and his activity on those sites continued before his death.
At the height of his addiction, he lost his house and his job and split up with his long-term partner.
Long – who had lived in London since 2012 – had spent a weekend with his family shortly before he died, before travelling to an Airbnb the day he was set to begin a new job.
He had struggled with depression and anxiety, which the court heard were common mental health problems associated with gambling.
His death was recorded as being due to “multiple injuries” after falling from a height.
A Gambling Commission spokesperson said: “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.”
The coroner’s prevention of future deaths report order will be sent to the Department of Education and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.
Family solicitor Dan Webster said the report “confirms that action is needed urgently to address the risks posed by these platforms”.
