A recent caller on “The Ramsey Show” shocked hosts Dave Ramsey and George Kamel when she revealed the extent of her husband’s gambling problem. Rebecca, from Florida, initially described her husband as simply being “not very good with money.”
A Gut Feeling Turned Into A $14,000 Reality
Rebecca said she and her husband were working through Ramsey’s “Baby Steps” and had a combined checking account, but she had avoided fully combining their finances because of her husband’s behavior. “I’m a little nervous,” she said. “He’s just not very good with managing it.”
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When asked for more detail, Rebecca dropped a bombshell: “In the past couple months, I discovered that he had a gambling issue.” At first, she said she believed it had stopped. When Ramsey asked what proof she had, she admitted, “Not a whole lot.”
As the conversation unfolded, Ramsey and Kamel learned that Rebecca's husband had gambled $14,000 in a single month—mostly on scratch-off lottery tickets. The couple brings in about $10,000 per month combined.
“He spent $14,000 on scratch-offs in a month?” Kamel repeated. “That’s not cool when you make 10 grand. That’s like over the top.”
Rebecca admitted her husband goes into debt when he loses and she has to cover the bills. Ramsey replied bluntly, “You’re going to have to treat this like he was doing cocaine.”
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Ramsey Walks Back His Initial Advice
Earlier in the call, Ramsey had suggested combining finances fully and using a joint budget as a way to build trust and discipline. But after learning the full extent of the gambling, he changed course.
“At this point, it’s cutting him off from access to the checking account,” Kamel said. “This guy cannot be counted on. I think you’re dealing with an addict, honey,” added Ramsey.
Kamel chimed in, emphasizing that Rebecca should be managing the money on her own for now. Ramsey added that her husband needs to seek help immediately, including Gamblers Anonymous, a counselor, their pastor, and marriage counseling.
“It’s an illogical thing, which points to addiction,” Ramsey said. “To spend $14,000 when you make $10,000 on freaking scratch-offs, which is like the lowest probability of anything you can do.”
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He continued, “The lottery is basically a tax on poor people and people who can’t do math. Your husband’s struggling with math.”
Rebecca said she had to show her husband the evidence she gathered before he admitted to anything. Ramsey pressed: “Do you think he’s an addict or just hiding it?” Rebecca responded, “I think he was just hiding it.”
Even so, the hosts agreed that this behavior had crossed the line into something far more serious.
Ramsey's final advice was direct: Rebecca must act quickly and treat this as a full-blown addiction. “You’re going to have to manage the money on your own right now,” Kamel added.
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