Gambling trap Illicit sites target addicts who are attempting to quit

The Long family are facing up to their second Christmas without their eldest son.

- Rob Davies

Last year, an eight-year cycle of gambling addiction, recovery and relapse came to an end when Ollie took his own life, aged 36.

Now, a picture has begun to emerge of why, try as he might, he could not shake the affliction.

Like hundreds of thousands of British gamblers, Long was in the grip of an international offshore network that exploits those who are trying to control their habit.

Its market is users of GamStop - the UK’s gambling self-exclusion scheme that helps people stay away from gambling sites.

Registering with GamStop lets gamblers bar themselves from all forms of legal and licensed online betting and gaming. More than halfa million people have signed up so far, in many cases with lifechanging positive results.

But some ofits good work risks being undone by the rise of search terms such as “Not on GamStop” or “Non GamStop casinos”, which can appeal to vulnerable people tempted by the dangerous world of unlicensed, offshore gambling.

Long’s family hope that clues provided in the final month of his life will help shed light on the mechanics of this phenomenon.

Long’s addiction began when his love of football - and Liverpool FC in particular - led him to take up abookmaker’s “sign-up” offer.

His sister Chloe believes the game he adored has been “hijacked by the gambling industry and used as a powerful vehicle for addiction and profit”.

The cause of Long’s death will be determined at an inquest due to take place in January. But his family know that an addiction to football betting loomed large.

‘As with many people who go onto develop a gambling problem, Long had an early big win - about £15,000 according to his family.

But soon, according to one of the handwritten notes he used to document his struggles, things “started to fall apart”.

He began depositing thousands of pounds, chiefly with Bet365, the online gambling firm owned by the billionaire Denise Coates.