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'He haemorrhaged money': the bereaved parents taking on the gambling industry 'He haemorrhaged money': the bereaved parents taking on the gambling industry
(about 1 month later)
John Myers opens up his son Ryan’s email account. Among the junk and spam, one message stands out. “A £5 Casino bonus is waiting for you – go grab it!” it reads. Promotional adverts from betting companies are regularly sent to Ryan, which infuriates his father. Two years ago, Ryan killed himself after struggling with a secret gambling addiction. But still the emails come.John Myers opens up his son Ryan’s email account. Among the junk and spam, one message stands out. “A £5 Casino bonus is waiting for you – go grab it!” it reads. Promotional adverts from betting companies are regularly sent to Ryan, which infuriates his father. Two years ago, Ryan killed himself after struggling with a secret gambling addiction. But still the emails come.
A few days before his death, Ryan, 27, was on holiday with his family in Turkey. He was his “usual happy, bubbly” self, John recalls. But shortly after his return home, an ominous message appeared on Ryan’s Facebook wall. “I am so so sorry, I didn’t mean to let anyone down,” he had written. His family were baffled.A few days before his death, Ryan, 27, was on holiday with his family in Turkey. He was his “usual happy, bubbly” self, John recalls. But shortly after his return home, an ominous message appeared on Ryan’s Facebook wall. “I am so so sorry, I didn’t mean to let anyone down,” he had written. His family were baffled.
John and his wife, Alison, Ryan’s mother, frantically tried to call their son but there was no answer. Eventually someone rang them from Ryan’s phone, but a moment’s relief quickly faded. It was not Ryan. It was someone urging John and Alison to come to their son’s home in Croxteth, Liverpool, as soon as possible. When they arrived and saw the police cars and ambulances parked outside, John leapt from his car and ran into the property. The officers wouldn’t let him up the stairs. “They said Ryan had self-harmed. Alison thought he’d just hurt himself so tried to get past. The officer said: ‘No, life is extinct.’”John and his wife, Alison, Ryan’s mother, frantically tried to call their son but there was no answer. Eventually someone rang them from Ryan’s phone, but a moment’s relief quickly faded. It was not Ryan. It was someone urging John and Alison to come to their son’s home in Croxteth, Liverpool, as soon as possible. When they arrived and saw the police cars and ambulances parked outside, John leapt from his car and ran into the property. The officers wouldn’t let him up the stairs. “They said Ryan had self-harmed. Alison thought he’d just hurt himself so tried to get past. The officer said: ‘No, life is extinct.’”
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Later, when John and Alison were allowed back into the two-up, two-down that Ryan had rented with his fiancée, John spotted a piece of paper on the floor. It was a betting slip with the words “card declined”. It was the first clue to the desperate circumstances that led to Ryan’s death.Later, when John and Alison were allowed back into the two-up, two-down that Ryan had rented with his fiancée, John spotted a piece of paper on the floor. It was a betting slip with the words “card declined”. It was the first clue to the desperate circumstances that led to Ryan’s death.
Ryan was a sports fan; as a child he was particularly deft at golf, at one point playing with a handicap of three. “He was doing very well,” John says. “I used to drop him off at the golf club during the summer and he’d play golf all day. He loved his golf.” Ryan was a Liverpool FC fan, and he played pool, darts and occasionally rugby league.Ryan was a sports fan; as a child he was particularly deft at golf, at one point playing with a handicap of three. “He was doing very well,” John says. “I used to drop him off at the golf club during the summer and he’d play golf all day. He loved his golf.” Ryan was a Liverpool FC fan, and he played pool, darts and occasionally rugby league.
After school he put himself through college, studying for a carpentry diploma. He gained employment with Bell Group and took pride in his work, which often involved repairing housing association properties. “He was always telling me what he’d done and how he’d done it,” John says. “He was a bit of a perfectionist when it came to his carpentry.”After school he put himself through college, studying for a carpentry diploma. He gained employment with Bell Group and took pride in his work, which often involved repairing housing association properties. “He was always telling me what he’d done and how he’d done it,” John says. “He was a bit of a perfectionist when it came to his carpentry.”
Ryan earned good money as a carpenter, his father says. John knows that earlier in his son’s career he had “thousands in the bank”. But on the day he died, Ryan transferred all he had left to his father’s bank account – £300. After looking at their son’s bank statements and post, John and Alison started to put together a troubling picture: a payday loan of £1,000 from a company called Pounds to Pocket, an account with a pawn shop and that final, heart-rending transaction. Ryan had clearly been in serious financial difficulties. But how and why?Ryan earned good money as a carpenter, his father says. John knows that earlier in his son’s career he had “thousands in the bank”. But on the day he died, Ryan transferred all he had left to his father’s bank account – £300. After looking at their son’s bank statements and post, John and Alison started to put together a troubling picture: a payday loan of £1,000 from a company called Pounds to Pocket, an account with a pawn shop and that final, heart-rending transaction. Ryan had clearly been in serious financial difficulties. But how and why?
“You go through so many emotions, start thinking about all the things he said when we were on holiday, trying to work out what happened,” John says. “What had happened? You couldn’t understand – our Ryan was such a happy, bubbly character.”“You go through so many emotions, start thinking about all the things he said when we were on holiday, trying to work out what happened,” John says. “What had happened? You couldn’t understand – our Ryan was such a happy, bubbly character.”
The source of Ryan’s money problems became clear as John and Alison went through his emails and Facebook account. Dozens of adverts and promotional offers from betting companies cluttered Ryan’s inbox. Then they discovered that Ryan had been attempting to “self-exclude” himself from a range of gambling websites.The source of Ryan’s money problems became clear as John and Alison went through his emails and Facebook account. Dozens of adverts and promotional offers from betting companies cluttered Ryan’s inbox. Then they discovered that Ryan had been attempting to “self-exclude” himself from a range of gambling websites.
In one email sent to a betting company five months before his death, he wrote: “Just wanted to know how I go about self excluding me self? I’m finally admitting I have a serious gambling problem and I know I’m always going to log on … so I need you to ban me please. Last night I got drunk and was winning on the roulette, then I started losing and I’ve woke up this morning to find out I’ve pretty much emptied my bank account and don’t even remember doing it.”In one email sent to a betting company five months before his death, he wrote: “Just wanted to know how I go about self excluding me self? I’m finally admitting I have a serious gambling problem and I know I’m always going to log on … so I need you to ban me please. Last night I got drunk and was winning on the roulette, then I started losing and I’ve woke up this morning to find out I’ve pretty much emptied my bank account and don’t even remember doing it.”
Related: The bookies regulator is taking a gamble over protecting the vulnerable | Matt Zarb-Cousin
Self-exclusion is when addicts ask a gambling company or operator to prevent them from gambling for a period of time, usually around six months. Self-exclusion schemes are supposed to be regulated by the Gambling Commission. Currently, if an individual wishes to self-exclude entirely, they need to do so separately with each operator that they gamble or might gamble with. Supporters see the schemes as an effective tool to prevent harm from gambling, but critics see them as weak and too easy to manipulate. There have been calls for a “multi-operator” approach to self-exclusion.Self-exclusion is when addicts ask a gambling company or operator to prevent them from gambling for a period of time, usually around six months. Self-exclusion schemes are supposed to be regulated by the Gambling Commission. Currently, if an individual wishes to self-exclude entirely, they need to do so separately with each operator that they gamble or might gamble with. Supporters see the schemes as an effective tool to prevent harm from gambling, but critics see them as weak and too easy to manipulate. There have been calls for a “multi-operator” approach to self-exclusion.
Ryan also reached out to James Petherick, a reformed gambling addict who has catalogued his struggles in video diaries on YouTube. John and Alison discovered a number of private Facebook conversations between Ryan and James, who appears to be the only person with whom Ryan shared details of his addiction.Ryan also reached out to James Petherick, a reformed gambling addict who has catalogued his struggles in video diaries on YouTube. John and Alison discovered a number of private Facebook conversations between Ryan and James, who appears to be the only person with whom Ryan shared details of his addiction.
In one message sent four months before his death, Ryan speaks of his frustration at the relentless barrage of gambling adverts luring him back in. He tells Petherick he has not gambled for five days. “Finding it tough,” he writes. “What’s making quitting tough for me is everywhere I turn there is some form of gambling advertisement. I go facebook and zynga poker or castle jackpot. I go on twitter and there is like £50 matched deposit, even buying a newspaper and just random advertisement, it’s unbelievable.”In one message sent four months before his death, Ryan speaks of his frustration at the relentless barrage of gambling adverts luring him back in. He tells Petherick he has not gambled for five days. “Finding it tough,” he writes. “What’s making quitting tough for me is everywhere I turn there is some form of gambling advertisement. I go facebook and zynga poker or castle jackpot. I go on twitter and there is like £50 matched deposit, even buying a newspaper and just random advertisement, it’s unbelievable.”
John and Alison now know Ryan had been gambling for at least a few years before he took his own life on 18 May 2014. He was placing bets on football, playing online roulette and, on the day he died, he lost £500 on a fixed-odds betting terminal at a betting shop in Croxteth. These highly addictive machines have been described as the crack cocaine of gambling. Each betting shop is allowed to have up to four FOBTs, which allow stakes of up to £100 to be laid on casino games with a maximum delay of 20 seconds between wagers. “We found at least three occasions when Ryan spent all his wages on gambling and had to scramble around to pay bills,” John says. “He was just haemorrhaging money.”John and Alison now know Ryan had been gambling for at least a few years before he took his own life on 18 May 2014. He was placing bets on football, playing online roulette and, on the day he died, he lost £500 on a fixed-odds betting terminal at a betting shop in Croxteth. These highly addictive machines have been described as the crack cocaine of gambling. Each betting shop is allowed to have up to four FOBTs, which allow stakes of up to £100 to be laid on casino games with a maximum delay of 20 seconds between wagers. “We found at least three occasions when Ryan spent all his wages on gambling and had to scramble around to pay bills,” John says. “He was just haemorrhaging money.”
Ryan’s grave was topped with red and white roses, as is often done for Liverpool FC fans. A humanist funeral was held at St Helens crematorium and attended by more than 300 relatives and friends, all of whom were shocked by his death and the problems that may have contributed to it. “If you’re in the pub and you’ve got a guy who’s an alcoholic, you can see him, he’s stumbling around all over the place, he’s drunk, he’s always drunk,” John says. “The guy in the corner keeping nice and quiet on his mobile phone, he’s gambling thousands and thousands of pounds and no one can see it and you have no idea.”Ryan’s grave was topped with red and white roses, as is often done for Liverpool FC fans. A humanist funeral was held at St Helens crematorium and attended by more than 300 relatives and friends, all of whom were shocked by his death and the problems that may have contributed to it. “If you’re in the pub and you’ve got a guy who’s an alcoholic, you can see him, he’s stumbling around all over the place, he’s drunk, he’s always drunk,” John says. “The guy in the corner keeping nice and quiet on his mobile phone, he’s gambling thousands and thousands of pounds and no one can see it and you have no idea.”
John, a softly spoken man who works night shifts as a DHL supervisor for Jaguar Land Rover, has been left with a deep-seated anger towards the gambling industry. “They’re parasites,” he says. “They’re absolute parasites.” John wants to see a host of changes and has launched a petition calling for increased and improved regulation of the industry. The aggressive advertising and promotion are among his primary concerns.John, a softly spoken man who works night shifts as a DHL supervisor for Jaguar Land Rover, has been left with a deep-seated anger towards the gambling industry. “They’re parasites,” he says. “They’re absolute parasites.” John wants to see a host of changes and has launched a petition calling for increased and improved regulation of the industry. The aggressive advertising and promotion are among his primary concerns.
He says that Ryan’s email account still receives promotions and adverts from betting companies, and it sickens him. “I wrote to one to say, my son has killed himself, can you stop sending stuff here,” John says. “They sent me an email saying, as an executor of his will can you please send a death certificate and we’ll look at his accounts.”He says that Ryan’s email account still receives promotions and adverts from betting companies, and it sickens him. “I wrote to one to say, my son has killed himself, can you stop sending stuff here,” John says. “They sent me an email saying, as an executor of his will can you please send a death certificate and we’ll look at his accounts.”
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John takes issue with the self-exclusion policy, particularly the time limit offered to addicts, including Ryan. He has since spoken to addicts who have revealed that, after a period of self-exclusion, the moment a ban is lifted they receive emails offering free £20 bets. “It’s making a mockery of self-exclusion,” he says.John takes issue with the self-exclusion policy, particularly the time limit offered to addicts, including Ryan. He has since spoken to addicts who have revealed that, after a period of self-exclusion, the moment a ban is lifted they receive emails offering free £20 bets. “It’s making a mockery of self-exclusion,” he says.
A spokesman for the Association of British Bookmakers said it was committed to tackling problem gambling. “We deeply sympathise with Mr Myers and his family for their tragic loss. The industry takes responsible gambling very seriously and we have introduced a number of new measures to help tackle problem gambling.A spokesman for the Association of British Bookmakers said it was committed to tackling problem gambling. “We deeply sympathise with Mr Myers and his family for their tragic loss. The industry takes responsible gambling very seriously and we have introduced a number of new measures to help tackle problem gambling.
“Action taken by the industry, over and above regulatory requirements, include a new mandatory code of practice for all betting shops, the banning of gaming machine advertising in shop windows and the introduction of a national multi-operator self-exclusion scheme.“Action taken by the industry, over and above regulatory requirements, include a new mandatory code of practice for all betting shops, the banning of gaming machine advertising in shop windows and the introduction of a national multi-operator self-exclusion scheme.
“The ABB and our members have also introduced player awareness systems, built on evidence published by the Responsible Gambling Trust in December 2014, which showed ‘markers of harm’ could be identified in patterns of gaming machine play. Those indicating potential for the highest level of harm are subject to an interaction with a member of staff.”“The ABB and our members have also introduced player awareness systems, built on evidence published by the Responsible Gambling Trust in December 2014, which showed ‘markers of harm’ could be identified in patterns of gaming machine play. Those indicating potential for the highest level of harm are subject to an interaction with a member of staff.”
Two years on from Ryan’s death, John is reaching out to other families affected by gambling addiction, in the hope that he can help prevent them from experiencing such a tragic loss. He says not a day goes by when he does not dwell on his son’s experience.Two years on from Ryan’s death, John is reaching out to other families affected by gambling addiction, in the hope that he can help prevent them from experiencing such a tragic loss. He says not a day goes by when he does not dwell on his son’s experience.
“I feel angry with him sometimes, but then you realise what he must have been going through,” John says. “I look at pictures of him as a young child and I think: what a waste. What a waste of a talented, lovely boy.”“I feel angry with him sometimes, but then you realise what he must have been going through,” John says. “I look at pictures of him as a young child and I think: what a waste. What a waste of a talented, lovely boy.”