MMD: Should I split my winnings and risk my wedding?

Silvertabby

I'm not a gambler, and I don't really know how betting works - but it's a safe 'bet' (sorry !) to assume that OP must have staked a large amount in order to have won enough to pay for his grand wedding.

In the absence of any prior agreement to divvy up the winnings 50/50, perhaps the split could be calculated on each persons bet? ie, if OP bet £100 but his friend only bet £10, then the friends share would be 10% of the winnings.

Shiggaddi

Pollycat wrote: »

That's my question too.
A bit of a nonsensical MMD.

I was going to ask the same question. If you really were short of money in the first place, you could still afford to pay for the day at the races and other associated expenses before you even put any money on the horses.

VT82

The OP only says 'enough to pay for my forthcoming wedding'. Forthcoming could mean in two years' time, with the plan being to scrimp, save, and break his back with overtime in the meantime to pay for it, which wouldn't now be necessary due to the winnings.


Alternatively, the plan might have been (rightly or wrongly) to borrow to pay for a proportion of his wedding, a debt which he wouldn't now be saddled with.


Either way, or neither way, I still don't think the moral requirement is there to hand over half.

LadyDee

Pollycat wrote: »

That's my question too.
A bit of a nonsensical MMD.

Perhaps the time somebody spends dreaming up these ridiculous questions means they haven't got enough to do?

gaving7095

LOL no :-D

But regardless of any advice here or what may be right or wrong, morally, only you can gauge whether not giving him the money may change things between you and whether or not that's something which you want to risk. Surely that's all that matters? So another pointless "dilemma" then XD

To me it sounds like he won a token-ish amount of £50 and split it with you because £25's neither here or there to him & he (kindly) wanted to make evening a pleasant memory for both of you.

As you've, essentially, won enough for something "life-changing", which splitting would sacrifice, then to me that's an obvious "hell no".

Unless (as others have said) you had a very specific agreement with him that any winnings would always be split, which I assume not as it's not mentioned in your post and would be a very key piece of information in the context. Or it was won using your friend's money, which again I assume it wasn't.
If my above assumptions are correct and he's actually pressuring you to split the money, he's a bad friend in my opinion.

His giving you a share of a low win is neither here nor there, unless it lead to or was part of something agreed between the two of you.

As a last point, as you're a gambler do you really think you're on the right website? This is about money saving, yeah? Maybe try bet365.ru(e)

Pollycat

Silvertabby wrote: »

I'm not a gambler, and I don't really know how betting works - but it's a safe 'bet' (sorry !) to assume that OP must have staked a large amount in order to have won enough to pay for his grand wedding.

Actually - not necessarily a large stake.
It would depend on the bet.
Here - a £1 stake won £91,000.00
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/dec/11/cheltenham-tote-placepot-bet-record-payout-favourites-flop-horse-racing

And the MMD doesn't state the amount of the win.
Nor does it say that the wedding is 'grand' or even how much it costs:

MSE_Naomi wrote: »

This week's MoneySaver who wants advice asks...

A friend and I went to the races and he won about £50, which he split with me. On a more recent visit together I won a much larger amount - enough to pay for my forthcoming wedding. He says I should split it with him, but then I won't be able to afford my wedding. Can I get away with giving him a token amount?

crmism

Do you seriously mean to say that, without your winnings, you wouldn't be able to afford your wedding? What would you have done had you not made a killing at the races? Told your sweetheart that the big day would have to be put off for the time being? Explained to family and friends that your future happiness, and that of your bride-to-be, depends wholly on your skill at the turf?

As you how much you give your friend, it depends how much you value your friendship. He, clearly, shared what little he won and, as the money was a windfall, tax-free and unearned, you should do the same.

Pollycat

crmism wrote: »

Do you seriously mean to say that, without your winnings, you wouldn't be able to afford your wedding? What would you have done had you not made a killing at the races? Told your sweetheart that the big day would have to be put off for the time being? Explained to family and friends that your future happiness, and that of your bride-to-be, depends wholly on your skill at the turf?

As you how much you give your friend, it depends how much you value your friendship. He, clearly, shared what little he won and, as the money was a windfall, tax-free and unearned, you should do the same.

That's why this particular MMD is even more poorly-thought-out than others.
Nobody would ask this question because it's a scenario that would never happen.
If it was a simple case of person A sharing his small winnings and person B with much higher winnings asking

MSE_Naomi wrote: »

Can I get away with giving him a token amount?

without adding the wedding element, it would be more believable.

Augustus_the_Strong

Say: 'ha ha, mate, yes, well, I need this for my wedding - I'll split it next time' and give him back the £25 that he shared with you. He can make a speech at your wedding mentioning your sneaky trick.

Fitbird_2

I'm sure your friend would have split whether it was £50 or £500 so you should be gracious and do the same otherwise you may lose that person as a friend. Put yourself in their shoes, how would you feel if it was the other way round ? Also I think you would feel incredibly guilty if you didn't. Don't be selfish, what goes around comes around.