Husband demands wife share lotto winnings or go separate ways — and the internet's on his side

In modern marriages, most financially independent couples split all major expenses, and there's nothing wrong with it. However, when money becomes an integral part of everyday conversations, it can lead to bitterness, often leading to separation. A similar situation unfolded when a man who goes by u/lottoIssues on Reddit shared how his marital life hit rock bottom when his wife refused to share their lottery winnings. Things got so heated that the man gave his wife an ultimatum—equally share the prize money or just face a divorce.

The author began by sharing how they had recently won a significant amount of money from a lottery. "It wasn't the top prize, but it was enough to pay off our sizable mortgage and still have some left over for vacations," he wrote. Their financial situation had been mostly exhausted due to the mortgage, and they were hopeful that the lottery winnings could help with that. "This was always a daydream we spoke about when we bought lotto tickets; I assumed this is what we would both do," he shared. When the couple finally received the money, they first paid off their mortgage, but soon after that, their relationship took a turn for the worse.

His wife began talking about leaving her job, which didn't sit well with the man. And rightfully so, because the author explained that they had to work, at least to maintain their current living standard. "My wife started talking about how amazing it's going to be finally not having to work anymore; I was blindsided by this. Even with the mortgage gone, we would still have to work at least school hours to keep our current standard of living, and on my salary alone, things would be tight," the author revealed. When the man confronted his wife and asked if she was serious about leaving her job, she responded by saying, "It was her ticket, and she gets to decide."

The situation quickly escalated because when they bought the lotto ticket, they had decided together to buy just one. After all, two seemed like a waste of money. "I tried to reason with her, saying she could use some of the extra to take some unpaid leave here and there, but she needed to keep her job. When I said, 'If I'm only working school hours,' she absolutely flipped and started accusing me of being a gold digger and ruining this for her and how she deserved it after working so much of her life," he wrote.

Later, every time they discussed it, nothing seemed to convince the wife. She had already made up her mind and had even submitted her resignation notice at work. This was the moment the author lost his composure and gave her the ultimate warning.

"I lost it and told her I was not going through with this if she was not going to share the winnings, which are under both of our names. I'll divorce her and get half through the house and, therefore, half the winnings anyway. This started another screaming match during which she continued to call me a gold digger," he wrote.

Meanwhile, u/fresh_tradition_9041 commented, "This is a common problem for lotto winners. They spend like the money will last forever, and many of them end up in bigger debt than before they won". u/wlfwrtr wrote, "NTA You have to file for divorce immediately. If you can show that she quit her job after you saw an attorney, you are less likely to pay alimony. Start marriage counseling. Sounds like friends or family may be putting thoughts into her head. She needs someone unbiased to talk to."