Man sparks massive family debate after gifting a $50,000 lottery ticket for Christmas

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A man’s lottery ticket stocking stuffer is driving a wedge in his marriage.

He shared the incident on Reddit’s “Am I the A******?” forum. He got his cousin a lottery ticket as a gift. To their surprise, the cousin won $50,000. But the Reddit poster’s wife doesn’t think the cousin should be allowed to keep the money.

“Had a belated Christmas gathering last week with my extended family,” he wrote. “I’ve always bought scratch-off lottery tickets for all the adults. This year my 23-year-old cousin goes nuts. He holds his ticket up and claims that he just hit it for the max jackpot: $50,000. I was elated.

“He was screaming, and his mom was actually in tears, and the whole room was excited. It was literally one of the top 10 experiences of my life.

“I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket … my wife has sent me a text message that says, ‘Come out to the car.’ She told me there is no way that we are giving my cousin $50,000, then starts fussing at me about buying the lotto tickets to begin with.”

The Reddit poster explained that he and his wife didn’t need the money but that his cousin’s life would be changed by it.

“I’m not saying that $50,000 isn’t a lot of money. It’s a ton,” he explained. “But I’m in my mid-40s. I have a two-decade professional career. My wife is a SAHM by choice. Our retirements and the kids’ college accounts are fully funded. While $50,000 would be nice to have, it’s not life-changing money for us.

“My cousin, on the other hand. Just graduated from college. His mom is single and was one of those fiercely independent women who refused charity. I explain to her that we’re not giving him $50,000. We gave him a ticket I spent $5 on. We argue a little bit. I can’t get her to explain why she wants this money so bad other than ‘it’s ours and you’re not giving it away.'”

Redditors thought the wife was being unfair.

“Your wife is completely in the wrong,” a user wrote.

“The wife is a greedy and uncharitable piece of work,” another said.

“Sounds like you have a good relationship with your family. Do not let your wife shatter it,” someone commented.

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