Relationship Advice on a Gambling Habit or Gambling Addiction

The daughter of one of the women in our group was engaged to a local TV sports reporter. The mom would tell us how her daughter was astounded at her fiancee’s dedication to the job. The young girl talked about how he was constantly researching sports information, looking over reports, analyzing the latest news and always talking on the phone to his sources. He did all these things all day long, even at home during his off duty hours in the morning.

After they had been married for a few months, it became clear that all his “research” wasn’t job related.

A bookie who’d been busted by the police revealed the reporter’s name as one of his “regulars.”

All that research he was doing at home wasn’t as much for his job as it was for his gambling habit.

A gambling addiction can be just as disastrous for a relationship as an addition to drugs or alcohol. So here are some early signs that someone may have a gambling problem, summarized from various Internet sources.

• Tends to be secretive about money and finances
• Has lots of overdue or unpaid bills
• Good income but never seems to have enough money
• Borrows money from friends and family
• Unexplained windfalls of cash, especially when there are unpaid bills (this happens when he’s won a big bet)

Financial dangers of a dating a gambling addict

A stay-at-home mom we know was engaged to a busy executive. She offered to help him by paying his bills for him over the Internet while her kids were in school.

“Oh honey,” he said. “I wouldn’t think of asking you to do that even after we’re married.”

Later she found out the reason: his finances were in shambles because of his gambling debts. Fortunately, she learned the truth before she married him.

Also see: Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, Drug Abuse, Sex Addiction.