‘They knew I was hooked, but still blitzed me with offers’
A POLICE officer who was bombarded with marketing material despite saying he was a gambling addict was offered a £10,000 payout from Ladbrokes if he signed a gagging clause.
The 37-year-old former addict estimates that he lost £250,000 online and on fixed odds betting terminals with a myriad of companies before he finally gave up gambling in May 2017.
He was offered the payout by Ladbrokes on condition that he did not speak to the Press or the industry regulator, the Gambling Commission – but he refused to sign the gagging order.
The man, who does not want to be named, said he ‘self-excluded’ – removing himself from the company’s website and telling it he was addicted – but continued to receive enticing offers.
The father-of-one, who lives in the South-West of England, said: ‘Getting bombarded with marketing emails led to the prolonging of my addiction. The cycle of self-excluding and betting again carried on until about a year ago.’
He was sent more than a dozen emails by Ladbrokes, which is owned by GVC, after telling them he was an addict.
The former addict was also allowed to continue betting with Coral after the brands merged in November 2016, and he was sent a further 50 promotions to the same email address.
‘There are about 40 gambling brands I bet with who have broken responsible gambling codes with me.’ The Gambling Commission confirmed it was investigating his case with Ladbrokes. Ladbrokes Coral declined to comment on the case.