The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has had to jump to its own defense in the case of deceased addicted gambler Luke Ashton.
Ashton died by suicide in 2021 after struggling with a gambling addiction. His widow, Annie Ashton, has now filed a claim in the UK High Court challenging the UKGC’s decision not to pursue legal action against Betfair.
Luke Ashton’s inquest revealed that he had died because of a gambling disorder. This cast aspersions on the UKGC’s decision not to impose regulatory action on Betfair, Ashton’s gambling operator of choice, following the incident. The regulator admitted that it had done so before hearing the results of the inquest.
unable to investigate certain factors given the passage of time
The regulator again in November 2024 decided not to take regulatory action against the operator. It argued that it was unable to investigate certain factors given the passage of time in the case.
Annie Ashton deemed the UKGC’s lack of action in the case “a dereliction of duty.” She said that Betfair retained its profit from Luke’s gambling, meaning “no lessons are learned to prevent deaths.”
A Gambling Commission spokesperson provided a statement to NEXT.io. They said “we vigorously disagree with any claims we have failed to adequately regulate operators of protect people from harm.” The Commission highlighted that it had ordered 56 operators to pay out a combined £105m ($132.7m) in the last four years.