GamLEARN

Andrew Morford’s case highlights not just the shocking failures of the gambling company, Betfair, but also those of the Gambling Commission itself. Here are some of the facts: 👉Andrew was allowed to lose funds exceeding £600,000 despite a previous self-exclusion. 👉When Betfair closed Andrew’s account, he gambled under his father’s name. The safer gambling team at Betfair flagged this might be happening in March 2023 but he was still allowed to gamble until January 2024. He deposited over £500,000 in that period. 👉Andrew had only one safer gambling phone call in three years, from September 2020 to September 2023, a period where he lost over £400,000. 👉Minimal and inadequate source of funds checks were implemented despite the huge amounts being gambled. 👉Betfair had labelled the account as an “exchange expert/confirmed shrewd” despite losses of over £600k. 👉Andrew reported the incident to the Gambling Commission in November 2024 and gave them the details of the investigating police officer in April 2025. Nine months later, the Commission still hasn’t contacted that officer, despite several requests. 👉Betfair was fined for serious failures in 2025 but Andrew has not been told if the failures relating to his case were part of the regulatory action. GamLEARN has supported over 50 cases almost identical to Andrew’s, many are still ongoing. They follow a pattern: someone with a gambling addiction is allowed to gamble huge amounts, they turn to crime when their own funds run dry, the gambling company lets them gamble the money and then keeps the proceeds of crime leaving innocent families to be chased for the funds. The Gambling Commission rarely takes action. We are willing to engage with the Gambling Commission on cases like this and help victims of crime recover money from gambling firms, but we are routinely ignored by the regulator and operators. Betfair, as far as we know, has not returned any of the proceeds of crime to the victims in this case. So far, despite many requests, they’ve kept the lot. @GamRegGB @DCMS @hmtreasury @MoJGovUK @JamesTCobbler @lisanandy @fionatwycross theguardian.com/society/2026/j…

GamLEARN are grateful to have been invited to attend the Symposium on Reducing Gambling Harms today. We look forward to sharing our knowledge and perspective as a charity supporting people facing these harms daily.

At GamLEARN we not only support people affected by gambling harm within the CJS but those around them too. Learn more via our CJS page on our website (link in bio). The more we talk the more we reduce stigma. #gamblingaddiction #gamblingrecovery

Christopher Eccleston was tired of being bombarded with dishonest gambling ads that devastate families. So he made his own. Write to your MP: #write-mp" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">cega.org.uk/#write-mp

GamLEARN’s new website is live. A refreshed look, built for what’s next. Thanks to Digital Craft for bringing the vision to life! This launch is just the beginning. We’re currently developing new services that will be introduced soon, as GamLEARN continues to evolve!

GamLEARN are excited to be at the @Clinks_Tweets Conference today. We’re looking forward to listening to important panel discussions around our prison system and a live podcast recording of The Secret Life of Prisons.

Andrew Morford’s case highlights not just the shocking failures of the gambling company, Betfair, but also those of the Gambling Commission itself. Here are some of the facts: 👉Andrew was allowed to lose funds exceeding £600,000 despite a previous self-exclusion. 👉When Betfair closed Andrew’s account, he gambled under his father’s name. The safer gambling team at Betfair flagged this might be happening in March 2023 but he was still allowed to gamble until January 2024. He deposited over £500,000 in that period. 👉Andrew had only one safer gambling phone call in three years, from September 2020 to September 2023, a period where he lost over £400,000. 👉Minimal and inadequate source of funds checks were implemented despite the huge amounts being gambled. 👉Betfair had labelled the account as an “exchange expert/confirmed shrewd” despite losses of over £600k. 👉Andrew reported the incident to the Gambling Commission in November 2024 and gave them the details of the investigating police officer in April 2025. Nine months later, the Commission still hasn’t contacted that officer, despite several requests. 👉Betfair was fined for serious failures in 2025 but Andrew has not been told if the failures relating to his case were part of the regulatory action. GamLEARN has supported over 50 cases almost identical to Andrew’s, many are still ongoing. They follow a pattern: someone with a gambling addiction is allowed to gamble huge amounts, they turn to crime when their own funds run dry, the gambling company lets them gamble the money and then keeps the proceeds of crime leaving innocent families to be chased for the funds. The Gambling Commission rarely takes action. We are willing to engage with the Gambling Commission on cases like this and help victims of crime recover money from gambling firms, but we are routinely ignored by the regulator and operators. Betfair, as far as we know, has not returned any of the proceeds of crime to the victims in this case. So far, despite many requests, they’ve kept the lot. @GamRegGB @DCMS @hmtreasury @MoJGovUK @JamesTCobbler @lisanandy @fionatwycross theguardian.com/society/2026/j…

Why are gambling firms still allowed to keep proceeds of crime – especially when they fail to stop clearly harmful gambling? The Gambling Commission also has questions to answer as we hear yet another story about Betfair failures with seemingly no consequences theguardian.com/society/2026/j…

We are grateful to those we have supported this year for your trust. To our staff, advisory panel, members, and partners, thank you for believing in what we do. Have a safe, peaceful festive period. #gamblingharm #gamblingsupport

We support impacted others by connecting you with people facing similar challenges, in safe, welcoming meetings led by our lived-experience team. Thank you to one of our members for bravely and openly sharing their story! #breakingbarriers #addictionawareness #gamblingaddiction

Addiction impacts not just the individual but their families, friends and communities. This week we raise awareness, break down stigma and remind everyone that no one has to face this journey alone. #letstalkaddiction #gamblingrecovery

It was a great opportunity to speak at the @pgreform last week. So many great panels discussing important topics and opening the floor for discussions. There’s a long way to go but the passion and dedication from everyone in the room is what will help drive fundamental change!

It was an honour to speak amongst this panel and hear not only from them but those with lived experience brave enough to speak up about the harms they face. A really insightful day!

We are happy to be at the Peers for Gambling Reform today @pgreform Some really great discussions so far and we look forward to speaking later today and hearing more from others.

Our team member Jules is kindly leading a metal detecting charity dig at Fegg Farm, Longville to raise money for GamLEARN! If you fancy grabbing a shovel and participating then please do reach out to Jules at info@gamlearn.org.uk

We are celebrating our 4th year as a charity this month. We are incredibly proud of the work we have done and continue to do and none of this would be possible without our incredible team, partners, researchers and members. We are so grateful to everyone for the support!

Watching a loved one go through the Criminal Justice System is not easy, that is why at GamLEARN we are proud to support affected others as well as those with lived/living experience. We offer monthly support sessions and access to events for affected others. #gamblingsupport

GamLEARN is delighted to share that @haringeycouncil won the prestigious MJ Award for their outstanding services to children and adults in the borough. We were honoured to be asked by the council to provide training to frontline staff to create awareness around gambling harms.

We had a great few days at the CAGR Conference in Glasgow, filled with insightful presentations from academics across the world. Many individuals with lived experience also delivered powerful talks. It was a great event for connecting and sharing knowledge. #gamblingsupport

We had an incredible time watching the fantastic Bridie Squires in her show at Nottingham Playhouse! A great show which brought attention to harms surrounding gambling in an engaging and entertaining way! Thank you @brizzaling #gamblingsupport #gamblingharm #gamblingaddiction