Gambling can quickly turn friends into enemies.
Over the years, there have been numerous stories about people who have won big, only to have the win cause a host of headaches. For example, a server received a lottery ticket as a tip. To her surprise, it won her over $10 million. However, she was then sued by her co-workers for a share, and then stalked by an ex-boyfriend as a result of the win.
Most of the time, disputes over betting winnings aren’t a problem—because, generally speaking, people don’t win. One study of over 700,000 online sports gamblers across a 5-year period found that just 4% made money.
But if you do win, do you have an obligation to share the money? That’s what one internet user is debating in a video posted to TikTok.
What Happened During This Couple’s Casino Date?
In his video, TikTok user Cartesian (@carteeesian) recounts a date gone awry.
According to Cartesian, he took a girl out to dinner. After the date, she wanted to go to a nearby casino.
Immediately, the pair had a fortuitous run.
“I put like $5 into this slot machine that they had at the bar, and one of the slots ended up turning that $5 into $15,” he explains. “So then we took those $15 to a bigger slot machine, turn those $15 into about $60. So, we actually had some gambling money at that point.”
From slots, the pair moved to the roulette table. Cartesian’s partner kept “calling odd,” and while the TikToker tried to push back, he eventually caved and stuck with the strategy.
This ended up being the right move. According to the TikToker, they turned their money into around $300.
Things Take A Turn
While all was good until this moment, things went south when it came time to cash out.
“I realized that she was expecting some of that money,” Cartesian says. “And, you know, I wanted to be a gentleman. I didn’t want to be like, ‘You get none of this’—because she did sit through it with me. You know, she did call a good amount of the bets.”
Cartesian settled on giving her $50 of the $300. Although he says she “didn’t take it bad,” he could sense disappointment. However, Cartesian says there was logic in his decision.
“First of all, I paid for dinner, and dinner was not cheap,” he states. “I basically broke even by winning $300 at the casino and giving her $50.”
“She definitely wasn’t entitled—not to mention the fact that those $5 we started off with, those were my $5,” he adds. “Maybe if you’d have contributed to the initial investment, you would have got more of a return. But honestly, you got $50 from nothing, so you’re welcome.”
What’s The Correct Etiquette Here?
Legally, it appears that Cartesian is under no obligation to share the winnings.
Whether it’s appropriate to share the winnings is a matter of opinion. In general, etiquette experts recommend discussing these issues before any gambling takes place—that way, on the off chance that one does win, issues like these aren’t a true problem.
In internet discussions about similar topics, it seems that many recommend simply splitting the money in order to maintain the relationship—especially if the amount is relatively minor and both parties participated in the gambling. While it’s best to talk about this before any potential winning takes place, if wins do occur when people are gambling together, many say that it’s best practice to divide up whatever’s left.
Provided that this did really happen as he said it did, it seems Cartesian was legally entitled to keep as much of the money as he’d like. Additionally, some may disagree with the previous advice and say that Cartesian is entitled to the money.
The TikToker Responds
In a TikTok DM exchange, Cartesian told BroBible that this was the pair’s second date. There was not a third.
“I don’t think I would’ve handled anything differently,” the TikToker said upon reflection.
“On both of our dates, I took on all the expenses and showed her a great time,” he wrote. “To assume a cash bonus on top of that seems a bit greedy — especially because if we lost I would’ve covered that entirely as well.”
@carteeesian Making money in the casino is like earning a trophy. Why would you expect a piece of my trophy? #dating#casino#gambling#storytime#datenight
Commenters Are Divided
In the comments section, users disagreed about what should be done with the money.
“You should have split it,” wrote a user. “She made the calls.”
“She wanted to go to the casino you spent your money, id say giving her 50 is fair,” countered another.
“Thats weird as hell not to split,” stated a third. “You bringing up dinner is irrelevant.. its a date.”
“You’re right!” exclaimed a further TikToker. “My ex gambled all the time with his money, every time we were gambling together he would keep all the winnings and losses, his money his results.”
BroBible reached out to Cartesian via TikTok and Instagram direct message.