I put money in two different machines. Out of the goodness of my heart, I told my son's girlfriend she could play one for me if she liked. Well, she hit a jackpot and she claims the money is hers, even though I was the one who put the money in the machine. Who does the money belong to? Please help! It’s tearing our family apart! Also, at the bottom of the answer is your link to the new poll on igaming.
As far as the casinos are concerned, the jackpot belongs to your son's girlfriend. She was at the machine and she pressed the button. You don't reveal the size of the jackpot; if it was $1,200 or more, she also received the tax paperwork in her name. This has been well-documented in various QoDs over the years, such as this one and this one.
But as far as the family and fairness are concerned, it seems to us that for the girlfriend to claim the entire jackpot is not only avaricious, but also short-sighted (if she intends to have any future with your son and a place in your clan).
This isn't an unusual occurrence; we hear about it all the time. In the heat of moments such as these, greed kicks in. That's why professional gamblers establish the ground rules before any action takes place: "You can play on my money, but if you win, we split the jackpot" (70 for me and 30 for you, or 60-40, or whatever deal is agreed on). That avoids exactly this situation and there's no argument (or at least there shouldn't be, though ex post facto, there certainly can be and often is). This is very common, especially at poker, where all kinds of side deals are made all the time.
Without such an agreement, the girlfriend is within her strict rights, we're sorry to say, to keep all the money. However, simple common sense and decency, to say nothing of peace in the family, dictate that the jackpot be split evenly between you and her. If she received a W-2G, all she has to do is issue you a 1099 for your share, then half the tax burden is off her and on you.
If she insists on keeping the entire jackpot, she's showing her true colors (greedy at the least, and uncooperative, even spiteful perhaps, considering you say it's "tearing apart the family") and if your son takes her side, well, we'll leave that to you. If he doesn't, then he's probably gotten a good look into her true character.
