Call for lottery gambling controls after dad's death

Stephen with his daughters Madeleine (left) and Freya (right) A coroner has called for the National Lottery to be included in a self-exclusion gambling scheme after a man with a gambling addiction took his own life. Stephen Goff, 54, died at his flat in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, on , an inquest heard. Emma Whitting, senior coroner for Bedfordshire and Luton, said there was a risk of further deaths unless the National Lottery draw was covered by GAMSTOP. The system prevents people who register with it from accessing gambling websites and apps licensed in Great Britain. The coroner has sent the Prevention of Future Deaths (PFD) report, external to the Gambling Commission and GAMSTOP. A spokesperson for the commission said that following the inquest, they had "been working with Gamstop and Allwyn, the National Lottery operator, to consider whether further protections are needed in this area". Stephen Goff gambled on the National Lottery Draw, which is not covered by a self-exclusion scheme The inquest heard that since 2006, Goff had struggled with gambling addiction, which led to the breakdown of his marriage the following year. Despite self-excluding from all online licensed gambling operators in 2018 and again in 2024 via GAMSTOP, he continued to gamble online with the National Lottery Draw. His last bank payment from his almost depleted account was to the National Lottery Draw. The coroner concluded he died as a result of suicide. In her PFD report, she raised concerns that by "not including online gambling with the National Lottery Draw in the GAMSTOP scheme, there was a risk that consumers having self-excluded via GAMSTOP will still gamble online with the National Lottery Draw". Goff's daughter, Freya, said they welcomed the coroner's PFD report, "which highlights the glaring omission that National Lottery gaming products are not covered -exclusion scheme". A Gambling Commission spokesperson said that "although National Lottery draw-based games are generally lower risk when compared against other gambling products, we will consider the potential for further changes, including the possibility of extending the scope of Gamstop in some form". If you have been affected , you can visit BBC Action Line. Do you have a story suggestion for Beds, Herts or Bucks? Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, external, Instagram, external and X, external.