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Husband has a gambling problem

41 replies

Lauryloo1991 · 03/07/2020 06:07

Hi ladies in gonna keep this as simple as possible but it's all very fresh so if I'm rambling I'm sorry.

  • When my husband and I were first together he had a bunch of debt he didn't tell me about. We were trying to get a mortgage but obviously couldn't (he had got payday loans) this was not due to gambling--he had a shit job with shit pay!
-my parents loaned us money to pay off the debt so we had a clean slate and my mum went on a mortgage with me for a fixed 5 years mortgage so we could get on the property ladder (my parents are amazing) -the plan was to remortgage after 5 years and get my husband on the mortgage with me instead. -I told him he can't ever get a credit card or loan again without telling me or it's over.
  • 3 years later we are married and I am 20 weeks pregnant. I just had a feeling something is amiss with money (he never goes out with mates and yet he doesn't seem to be saving any money) so I asked him. Eventually (because he knew I'd find out when we remortgage anyway) he admitted to me he is in 18 grands worth of credit card and loan debt because he has a gambling problem.
  • he has always paid his half of the bills etc and has kept up the payments in all these loans and credit cards.
  • I know gambling addiction is a disease but I just feel like it's different - he doesn't do it all the time and he his personality hasn't changed. He has managed to still keep up the payments despite getting himself into debt. But I have no experience with it so I don't know if this is still a gambling problem or just pure selfishness?
  • I'm not daunted about paying it back. We will manage. I feel angry though. Angry for me and angry for my little girl who isn't going to see the life she deserves for a few years because of this.
  • I'm also worried he now won't be able to get on the mortgage with me in 2 years time in which case I can't ask my mum to stay on so we will have to sell up and lose our house.
-I feel like I'm in a bad dream and I don't know what to do. I don't know if I should stay with him. I don't know if he is a risk and one day he could lose us everything. He has happily agreed to both get paid into one account and both of us only have spending money from that account. The rest is our joint money. He has said I can have the login for his bank statements and his credit report that I can check whenever and he is clearly devestated he has done this. And he has said he will go to gamblers anonymous. But is this enough? And do you think he will find another way to gamble our lives away?! What kind of life is that for either of us anyway. I just don't know what to do and don't know if he can get on the mortgage with me even if I wanted him to. The loan will be paid off before then and possibly one of the 4 credit cards, leaving us about 9 or 10 grands worth of debt left on 3 cards. But I know they look back on your finances too so i don't know. Anyone with any experience or advice please get in touch. I love this man to pieces but I am devestated and don't know what to do. Thank you x
OP posts:
Whyareblokesonhere · 03/07/2020 07:50

Hi,

I’m sorry you are facing this. I’m the husband and the addict.

I have been addicted for over twenty years and have had three or four clean slates, from family bail outs, small wins and even one significant win (enough to buy a house). I am a father of three.

I have no right to pass comment really but I have finally managed to stay gambling free for over three years now. It’s ridiculously hard work and it has taken a toll on me physically and mentally. I am hard work at times.

I have turned my wife’s life in a totally different direction to the one she envisaged, since my last confession we have welcomed our third child (she’s was pregnant when I confessed) and it I said purely her faith that means we have stayed together but we are talking now about whether this is the right thing to do, it probably isn’t. I want to stay married but I have caused a rift and damage done trust etc, we are very aware that with three young children we either get to a better place or need to part ways.

I am happy to share more of my story if you wish but I just wanted to highlight gamcare as being as great place to get support for yourself.

Everyone’s journey is different but absolute ownership of the choices made is critical and so is a determination to get help and address the underlying issues, I’m still doing this three years on.

Respectfully do not listen to a word that is said and go only by his actions, in full gambling mode I produced fake bank statements (very easy to do) to divert family from the truth.

For the record, the poster(s) saying he loves gambling more than you are in cuckoo land themselves, it is not about that in the slightest and there’s is no way they can know if that is true or not,

That said, I wouldn’t choose a life with a gambler.

You also do not need to keep his secret, the more people know, the easier it is. He will not like this idea and will manipulate you into not sharing,

Best wishes with whatever you decide to do.

Dan, I’m a gambling addict but I am choosing to not gamble today.

Lauryloo1991 · 03/07/2020 08:19

Wow, Dan I can't thank you enough for that. There is no better perspective I could ask for than that of someone with the same addiction. Huge respect to you for sharing and also for managing to get yourself to a point where you have gone 3 years without gambling.
From your experience, does his sound like proper addiction? I am worried he is using the word addiction as a get out of jail free card.
The plan is for me to have a log in for his bank account and credit report so he can't forge them but I'm aware as other people have said there are more risky ways to obtain money.
A million thank yous for your courage and your candid message. I appreciate that more than you could know.

OP posts:
EmergencyPractitioner · 03/07/2020 08:38

www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/gambling-addiction/

yellowfishestoyou · 03/07/2020 08:47

For me it would have to be the end of the relationship. 18 grand is a lot of money and I would never be able to trust him. In years to come when you ask about his spending habits it will just cause argument after argument. Do you want years of constant worry and trust issues over money? I know I wouldn't.

Whyareblokesonhere · 03/07/2020 09:38

@Lauryloo1991

I'm going to respectfully disagree - you can get much better and more qualified support, on gamcare you'll find a friends and family section and there are people that are experienced from your perspective - some are blunt with their messages but I've actually learnt as much from them as anyone else.
I hope the reason behind that is that I want to stay stopped. Not for my wife (which I used to say) or even for my children. For me.. Selfish, yes but I know I will never be the dad or husband or even person I want to be whilst I choose to gamble.

It never felt like a choice at the time but ultimately it was, often born from desperation but my choice still.

However, from my perspective;
Yes - he sounds like he is addicted
No - from what you have briefly written, it does not sound like he is addressing the addiction or dare I say it, that he is even ready to stop. Remember don't listen to the words, or tears - sadly they are meaningless.
You don't have to make a decision right now about the relationship, this is your life, you make the rules. It might however be appropriate to give yourself time. You love the person you think he is, you sound like you want to support him.

My sister was my best support. She has access to money, I was in deep, debt higher than my salary, under threat of a loan shark and yet she said no.

Instead she brought me a 1 man tent, her old camping stove and one of her childrens old sleeping bags and a £10 mobile phone with £10 credit and the number for Samaritans. She looked me in the eye and said she loved me, she wanted to help but she was not interested in my story, she was not willing to give me any money, her priority was ensuring my children and wife were ok and that I needed to deal with the consequences.
As it transpired after many discussions, it was agreed my family would help me pay off the loan shark - not for me but because they were concerned about repercussions on the family home. The loan shark was a neighbour, I had been naïve and just took up an offer of money without thinking, my other debt was still more than my salary.
One credit card was in my wife's name.

My sister saved my life. By saying no.

From that moment I have faced into the consequences of my previous decisions, every day.

Sorry this is long!

In the immediate, make sure you have access to credit reports - for you both.
Buy a small safe and in it put every log in or access details that he has, make sure this matches the credit reports but also you need it for email, phone etc. You may never access them but you need to be able to. We still have this now, I have no idea if my wife accesses them but she can, whenever she wants.
Any subsequent secrets emerge (secret accounts etc) and that has to be it.
You do not do ANY of the work, no calls to creditors, no paying things off - he does it all, just in front of you.
Be kind to yourself and get professional support.

You are faced with an awful choice and not from anything you have done. You deserve time and support to work through it. Tell whoever you want - not whoever he says.

You did not cause this, you cannot control him but you can now look after yourself.

I hope on some small level this rambling is useful but once again please take it in context, I'm an addict not an expert

best wishes

Whyareblokesonhere · 03/07/2020 09:53

sorry two other points

Consequences:
He is in debt - not for the first time - from gambling, there are consequences to that and he quite simply just needs to accept that.

To your Husband:
The bookies won. well done to them, you lost. It's the same for me. I spent the money, I took my chances and I lost.
As an active addict, I could never win because I could never stop.
I am choosing to fight this now and I choose total abstinence, I wont even play a game on a computer or tablet that has 'loot boxes' as it triggers my brain, no raffles, no 'free credits', just nothing.
Life is better than it has been for 25 years, I still face challenges, my teeth are damaged (couldn't 'afford' the dentist) I'm overweight (no time to exercise) I'm hard work (Mental health) I'm manipulative (we become masters at this). Yet life is better, whether my marriage survives or not, whether I'm in the children's daily life or not, life is better without gambling. p.s. I wont say good luck because it's not about luck.

RandomMess · 03/07/2020 09:56

My BIL managed to get more credit cards despite them being in DMP and there being charged against the house. He was meeting the postie and the end of the drive so the letters never came to the house.

The lies and manipulation to continue know no depths.

I would suggest he moves out (back to his parents?) takes his debt with him whilst he decides what he wants and actually deals with the gambling addiction.

I would want absolute legal financial separation. That is £18k that would have paid for most of your DC child care until they started school!

Theyweretheworstoftimes · 03/07/2020 10:02

You need to ask if you want this to keep happening and if you want to have your daughter dragged down by this.

You can leave and do this alone. You will be successful in doing so.

romdowa · 03/07/2020 10:03

Do you know where he is gambling? If its with bookies either in store or online he can self exclude from them through the moses self exclusion scheme. Its really worth checking out their website.

Lauryloo1991 · 03/07/2020 10:41

Thank you all. Dan, particularly you for sharing something so personal but to all of you for your thoughts. Much appreciated xx

OP posts:
DappledOliveGroves · 03/07/2020 10:50

My cousin was married to a gambling addict. She had no idea about his gambling. The married in the 1980s and he managed all post and paperwork and she trusted him to deal with it all. Unbeknownst to her, he had remortgaged the house and borrowed against it until he had gambled the entire thing from under her. They divorced, she had to borrow money from her parents to buy her own place. She stayed in contact with him and still, 20 years later, he remains a gambling addict and she still tries to bail him out. No idea why when he ruined her life.

I know you'll be clutching at any hope or anecdote that gives you a ray of hope that your marriage can survive this. Whilst no-one knows what the future holds, please try and keep your eyes open and prioritise your child when making a decision.

gassylady · 03/07/2020 10:55

Are you absolutely sure that he didn’t get his first lot of debt from gambling too. Lots of people in low paying jobs that don’t end up in significant debt via payday loans. At the very least it shows he basically has no idea about balancing a budget - and that/he is happy to deceive and disappoint you. Who ensured that your parents kind loan to pay off his debts was repayed? Its great that he has managed to keep up payments on the current debts but how much money has been lost in interest payments. I notice you say “we can manage” when talking about clearing the debts so is he expecting that again you (and perhaps your lovely family) will sort out the issue he has created.
Agree that you and your future daughter must be your main concern now. How will this debt impact upon the family finances when you take maternity leave? Will you need to rethink the length of time you can take or the amount of paid childcare that is affordable. This debt willhave wider impacts than just a new mortgage. I would not under the circumstances get a joint mortage with him what if any future loans were secured against your home without your knowledge somehow.

Perch · 03/07/2020 12:31

29 and divorced is not as bad as 40, bankrupt and homeless :(
Just to it for the paperwork. And remember the shame and embarrassment is all his, not yours. You really need to protect yourself, he is not going to do it for you. You are in an unequal relationship. You will always have to parent/supervise him, you’ll always have a niggling doubt in the back of your mind. I really feel so sorry for you x

MrsMoastyToasty · 03/07/2020 12:45

Get help from a debt advice charity. It often helps hearing the dreadful truth about a situation like this if it comes from a stranger. They will be able to look at the debts and negotiate with creditors. However some only give advice with the proviso that he also gets help with the gambling and will withdraw support if they find evidence that the person is continuing to gamble.

MadeForThis · 06/07/2020 19:41

Did you check his credit file?

ZombieLizzieBennet · 07/07/2020 11:49

I certainly wouldn't be buying a property with him if you did stay together. Unfortunately, as you're married, your share of the equity is part of the asset pot on divorce.

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