Baby boomer gambles away her rent money and her roommates $800 rent payment, which is half of her monthly income: 'She’s now wallowing around in self-pity'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
Nov 6, 2025 11:00 AM EST

Age doesn't always correlate with maturity. 

You have to put a lot of faith and trust in your roommates. You must trust that they aren't sticking your toothbrush in the toilet every morning after you leave for work. You have to trust that they won't eat all of your groceries when you're not at home. Most importantly, you need to trust that they will pay their rent in full and on time. 

In past roommate situations, we've all been responsible for paying our own portion of the rent on a rent portal, so the landlord can see exactly who has paid and how much they've paid. My current landlord wants us to Zelle him the rent in a lump sum, which has worked thus far, but could go horribly wrong if one roommate were to stop paying rent. The roommate who sends the money might be forced to use their money to make up the difference because they don't want their housing situation to be affected by one bad apple. That's the problem with having a ton of roommates: you're relying on way more people to be responsible than you would be if you only had one roommate or were living by yourself. But even having one bad roommate can make your life a living nightmare.

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  • A casino room filled with lots of slot machines
    via Miikka Luotio

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • You might think that having an older roommate would mean having a more responsible roommate, but that's not always the case. This young woman is living with a baby boomer who has a gambling problem, and she has started gambling their rent away.

  • The boomer I’m living with gambled away the rent money.

    I feel sick to my stomach. My roommate's a boomer.
    via u/HamsterTop1332
  • If I could move out, I would. But rent is insane where I am, and this was the only place I could afford.
    via u/HamsterTop1332
  • Brown four story bricked building
    via Sigmund

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • But she at least doesn't bother me. She leaves me alone, and I leave her alone.
    via u/HamsterTop1332
  • Woman on brown wooden parquet floor
    via Kari Shea

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • She lives on social security and needed help paying bills. I needed a cheap place to stay.
    via u/HamsterTop1332
  • Thought it would work out. Well, I sent her my half of the rent. She's the one who pays the apartment complex (big mistake on my part but we never had problems before).
    via u/HamsterTop1332
  • I gave her $800. This is close to half of what I make. I also pay utilities.
    via u/HamsterTop1332
  • And I have debt to other people I'm paying off. I am left with very little for myself.
    via u/HamsterTop1332
  • She went to a casino. And she gambled away the rent. All of it. Including my half of it.
    via u/HamsterTop1332
  • She's now wallowing around in self-pity. Going on about how the worst type of anger is when you're angry with yourself.
    via u/HamsterTop1332
  • WigglyParrot yea I'd be going to the police.
    via u/WigglyParrot
  • OP Hamster Top1332 Honestly I'm really glad I posted here. It didn't even occur to me that this might be a criminal issue. I just assumed it's something that small claims courts would deal with. I'd love to see her get arrested. I'll be filing a police report as soon as I can and also in small claims.
    via u/HamsterTop1332
  • qishibe Hates taxes because its spending her money on "someone else" Proceeds to do this She believes poor people are poor because theyre lazy and have no self control Proceeds to do this She thinks dems suck at the economy Proceeds to do this
    via u/qishibe
  • No_Philosopher_1870 Ask your landlord whether you can pay your half of the rent directly to them rather than risk your money being stolen by your roommate in the future. This is possible only if they know that you are living there. I would report the theft to the police if only to get a paper trail started. I hope that you have proof that you sent money to your roommate.
    via u/No_Philosopher_1870
  • MrBrawn Small claims as well.
    via u/MrBrawn
  • Jerryjb63 She stole $800 from you. That's what happened. Call the police. You're going to want to have a paper trail.
    via u/Jerryjb63
  • Edith_Keelers_Shoes I feel your pain. I just discovered my spouse availed himself of one of my credit cards recently, and spent almost a thousand dollars in the last 3 weeks. And yet he needs me to explain myself when I say "This is financial infidelity. You might as well be having an affair that's how betrayed I feel." Can you quietly start looking for another place to live? People don't do stuff like this just once, like a flash in the pan. No, this will just be the first of many times your ha
    via u/Edith_Keelers_Shoes
  • Appropriate Pizza_87 Do a police report so you have a record for your landlord and I know it's hard but start looking for somewhere else to live. She's clearly irresponsible and if she lives off of social security who knows how long that will last.
    via u/Appropriate_Pizza_87

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boomers being fools bad roommate boomer bad roommates reddit story gambling casino rent baby boomers boomers reddit thread Reddit roommates money old people
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