London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 17, 2025

Gambling addiction ‘destroyed’ son, father tells Sheffield inquest

Gambling addiction ‘destroyed’ son, father tells Sheffield inquest

Parents of Jack Ritchie, who killed himself in 2017 aged 24, say state failed to properly address gambling risks
The father of a young teacher who killed himself after experiencing years of gambling problems has told an inquest that the addiction “destroyed” his son.

Jack Ritchie died in Hanoi, Vietnam, aged 24. His parents, Charles and Liz Ritchie, from Sheffield, believe that failures of UK authorities to address gambling issues contributed to their son’s death.

Ritchie’s parents believe the hearing is the first Article 2 inquest – an enhanced inquiry that probes the role of the state – in a case relating to suicide following gambling. This means its scope will include an examination of whether any part of the state breached its duty to protect his right to life.

The couple believe an undiagnosed gambling disorder lay behind their son’s death and have argued there were no public health warnings about the risk to life posed by gambling products. They say their son was not diagnosed or offered treatment that linked his symptoms to a gambling disorder.

The inquest heard on Friday that Ritchie’s parents “regard gambling as the root cause and trigger of Jack’s death”.

Charles Ritchie told the hearing in Sheffield: “It took this happy, healthy 16-year-old and gradually, over the course of seven years, it destroyed a part of him.

“The very essence of that amazing young man was torn apart, was destroyed by gambling so that he could see himself as being the villain, as being the bad person, as being the weak person, as being the irresponsible person, and he took that on because he was a nice guy.”

Ritchie was working as an English teacher in Vietnam when he killed himself in November 2017.

Earlier this week, the Sheffield coroner David Urpeth heard that the teacher began playing on fixed-odds betting terminals when he was about 16 or 17 years old.

His father said that before he left for Vietnam, he “was very positive” and “starting to find his way into adult life”.

He told the inquest: “He probably thought he had escaped gambling, was free of it and going to lead the amazing life that was ahead of him.”

Charles Ritchie said the addiction “killed him” over the “final four days of his life”. He said his son had “crashed out” after coming to the end of his overdraft.

Jack’s mother said their son “blamed himself for harming us”.

She told the inquest: “He had been told by the lack of information that gambling is normal, that it’s only a tiny proportion of people who are addicted and there’s something wrong with them, that it was all his fault for not only doing the gambling but harming us because of it.”

The inquest continues.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
×