journey into addiction. we set up gambling with lives to warn other parents, because nobody warned us, because there is no messaging. and i ve spoken to so many mums and dads who say to me, i warned them about road safety, i warned them about sexual predators, i warned them about drugs. i didn t know there was another predator out there to warn them about. annie is pushing for change in the name of her husband just as the government reviews current legislation to make sure it is fit for the digital age, the government told us. legislation was passed in 2005 and was quickly outdated by technology, which put a casino and a bookmaker in the palm of everybody s hand. the betting and gaming council told us. promotions are an issue for individual operators, but added, the industry is determined to protect people. and the rate of problem gamblers has remained stable
luke had previously beaten an addiction but, when lockdown hit, the 40 year old was furloughed. that s when annie says the first of many free bets landed in his e mails, and luke was drawn back in. there s no doubt about it. the only people that knew about luke s addiction were luke and the company. and at no point did they step in and do anything about it. there was a free bet that dropped into his account the day he disappeared. by that point, he had already, you know, decided on what he was doing. last year, a house of lords report found that for every person with a problem, six more were harmed. that s 2 million people harmed by divorce, crime, loss of work, of homes and, ultimately, loss of life. that report found that 60% of gambling companies profits come from the 5% of customers who have a problem.
and studies show that covid made online gambling numbers soar. search free bets online and you will find a staggering number. onjust one page, offers from 54 companies. £1,700 worth of free bets, if you were to sign up. and that s just the first page that pops up on the internet. it s terrifying. there is no other word for it. it s terrifying. they are inducements, so they are the free cigarette, or the free shot of heroin. it s your first shot| of heroin, isn t it? liz and charles ritchie set up the charity gambling with lives after their 24 year old son jack took his own life in 2017. they and annie want to see free bets banned. for some people, that. will be the start of their
fears that that window up to the sist fears that that window up to the 31st of august simply isn t enough time to get everybody out. so the taliban, are going to tell sources, quoted on the reuters agency, will not accept the extension of the august deadline for western forces to leave. we will try to find out some more information about that and bring that to you as soon as possible, but clearly that will be a huge concern to all of those working to try to get people out of the airport at kabul. we will come back to afghanistan a little later in the programme, but now. a widow who lost her husband to a gambling addiction is urging the government to stop online betting companies from giving away free bonuses which allow you to bet without depositing any money. luke ashton took his own life in april after he started gambling again while on furlough during lockdown. jayne mccubbin has been speaking to his wife, annie. i looked out of the window and his van wasn t there.