An inquest into the death of Gareth Evans, a 40-year-old from Croydon, has found that gambling disorder and depression contributed to his suicide in November 2021, with the coroner concluding that William Hill took insufficient steps to intervene in his gambling at its betting shops. Evans' father, Tony, said his son's death was "directly caused by the gambling industry."
Gareth Evans' gambling history and self-exclusion
Gareth Evans, described by his mother as a "happy and healthy young man who was very sociable," first experienced gambling problems in 2013. He joined Gamblers Anonymous and referred himself to the National Problem Gambling Clinic. In November 2020, after extensive online gambling with William Hill, he self-excluded from online gambling through the GAMSTOP scheme, a free national self-exclusion service that blocks access to licensed online gambling websites and apps in Great Britain.
In January 2021, Evans complained to William Hill, explaining that his gambling and losses over many years had significantly affected his mental health. The inquest heard that the complaint was rejected, and Evans resumed gambling in William Hill betting shops in East Croydon around April 2021.
Evidence of gambling activity before death
Evidence presented at the inquest, held at South London Coroner's Court in Croydon on July 9, 2026, showed that in the six months before his death, Evans made large cash withdrawals, many from a cash machine next to a William Hill shop near his flat. These withdrawals were partly funded by HSBC bank loans, which his family were unaware of until after his death.
Two weeks before he died, Evans contacted solicitors to enquire about making a claim against William Hill. He described visiting a William Hill betting shop "five times a day, often spending up to £800 in cash on the sports betting terminals." Despite this, William Hill staff never attempted to speak to him about his gambling, the inquest heard.
William Hill's safer gambling procedures
Representatives from William Hill told the inquest that Evans' online gambling activity in August 2020 triggered its safer gambling procedures, including a phone call after he lost around £18,000 over three weeks. The company said Evans later closed his online account and that it had no record of his subsequent gambling in its betting shops during 2021.
However, Tim Miller, Executive Director at the Gambling Commission, told the inquest that Evans' case reflected failings the regulator had already identified in William Hill's policies and procedures. The Gambling Commission issued its largest-ever financial penalty against William Hill in March 2023 following an investigation, though Evans' case was not part of that review. The commission said it identified several points at which the operator could have recognised the risk of harm and stepped in.
Coroner's conclusions and Prevention of Future Deaths report
Assistant Coroner Adela Williams concluded that William Hill had taken insufficient steps to intervene in Evans' gambling at its betting shops in 2021. She expressed concern about staff training and the lack of standardisation across the industry for controlling gambling in betting shops. She said she would issue a Prevention of Future Deaths report to the Gambling Commission and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Evans' father, Tony, said after the hearing: "Four and a half years since Gareth took his own life, the coronial process has confirmed what we as a family always knew: that his death was directly caused by the gambling industry and its dangerously addictive products, and that William Hill failed in their duties to protect him."
Family's call for awareness and regulatory change
Tony described Gareth as "a normal, happy and healthy person who was loved by us all," with a good job, many friends, and interests in football, pub quizzes, and travel. He added: "Although nothing can change what happened to our wonderful Gaz, we hope this inquest can help people understand that gambling kills – and that by telling his story we can open the conversation around gambling addiction, reduce the shame and stigma associated with it, and encourage other individuals currently experiencing gambling harm to seek treatment."
The family's solicitor, Dan Webster from Leigh Day, noted that this was the seventh inquest since 2022 where gambling was recognised as contributing to a self-inflicted death, and the fourth in 2026 alone. He said: "Like a number of other cases, Gareth's inquest has highlighted that, even where people self-exclude from online gambling via GAMSTOP in an effort to protect themselves from harm, there are inadequate systems in place to prevent them from gambling by other means."
Industry-wide concerns and local pushback
Charles Ritchie, Chair of the charity Gambling with Lives, said the inquest exposed "a series of missed opportunities" to identify Evans' gambling harm and intervene. He called for stronger protections and changes to gambling regulation.
The inquest comes as London boroughs increasingly push back against the proliferation of gambling venues. Croydon Council rejected a licensing application for a 24-hour slots gaming centre in Norbury on July 2, and Brent Council has declared a 'gambling emergency' and is developing a strategy to tackle its impacts.
