headteacher beatrix bernhardt and director nacerdine talbi were convicted of running the al—istiqamahby bbc yorkshire. nearly 30,000 calls were made by gamblers to the helpline in the last year according to gam—care, the charity that runs it. the government says it's taking decisive action to ensure the most vulnerable people in society are protected from gambling—related harm. ali fortescue reports. sporty, funny and a loved son. alan lockhart took his own life because of a gambling addiction when he was 40 years old. i was just horrified, because i could not see what the attraction was, that it was so great that it could have this effect on my son. but sadly, alan's story is not unique. nearly 30,000 calls were made to the national gambling helpline last year, that's a 30% increase on five years ago. the proliferation of advertising and the concern that we have with the harm caused by the fixed—odds betting terminals, for example, whether this reflects an increase in problem gambling per se, i do not think it would be a great surprise to those of us who work in the area. for matt, i