Doctors should ask their patients about their gambling habits in the same way they assess their drinking and smoking levels, a coroner has said as a condition after an addict’s death.
Lee Adams was found to have died of an overdose of beta blockers in 2020 after a late-night gambling binge during the coronavirus pandemic.
The investigation said that the 36-year-old was addicted to gambling during the lockdown and did not get treatment for the disease.
His death has prompted calls for GPs to ask patients about possible gambling addiction so they can be made aware of available medical treatment.
In a Preventing Future Deaths report published last week, Julian Morris, chief coroner for inner south London, recommended that doctors ask about gambling habits in the same way they do about smoking or drinking.
Since 2012 the health service has paid GPs to offer behavioral support and medication referrals to all smokers to stop smoking.
Last year, officials from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence advised GPs to assess all patients for harmful levels of drinking and to offer intervention to those they identified as mildly dependent.
An inquest into Adams’ death said he had suffered from long-term depression and had been prescribed the beta-blocker propranolol in 2017, although he had not taken any since.
Propranolol is used to treat high blood pressure, anxiety and migraines. It is fast and effective but toxic even in relatively small doses.
It emerged that in the first few months of 2020 and during the Covid shutdown, Adams was “increasingly dependent. [on] and engage in online gambling.
Despite being contacted about his gambling, Adams was told he was “fine” and wanted to continue.
However, David Forrest, an expert on gambling standards, gave evidence to the inquiry that there were many indicators of harm in Adams’ gambling.
According to lawyers representing the Adams family, gambling operator Virgin Games, which is owned by Gamesys Operations, “should have done more” to intervene.
Adams’ gambling behavior was described as “exploitative” and “severe” in the period before his death. Forrest gave evidence that Virgin Games had offered bonuses and prizes to Adams because he was part of a “VIP” promotional scheme.
Concluding that Adams died of cardiac arrhythmia caused by a propranolol overdose, the coroner also cited “gambling disorder” and “depressive illness” in his report. Morris suggested that GPs “must remember to ask people about their gambling habits in the same way they ask about smoking and alcohol”.
After the verdict was handed down in November, Adams’ cousin Natalie Ashbolt said he had overdosed within half an hour of his last bet, “losing almost an entire month’s wages in an hour”.
She added: “It came at a time when Lee was already desperate because of his gambling, having been allowed to lose tens of thousands of pounds in the previous months.”
The coroner’s recommendations were sent to the family and GP surgery solicitors as well as the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
A spokesman for Games said the company was “deeply sorry for the loss” experienced by the Adams family. He added that the company is “committed to protecting customers” and that “safe gambling is at the core of our operations, and we always ensure that we comply with the strictest regulatory standards across the industry”.
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