🎙️ Episode 20: Over/Under Your Wallet

Hosts: Omen Quelvog & Rob Moore

February 4th, 2026

⚠️ Gambling Help & Support Resources (Please Read First)

If you or someone you care about may be struggling with gambling, confidential help is available right now:

• National Problem Gambling Helpline (US): 1‑800‑GAMBLER (1‑800‑426‑2537)
• Text or Chat: https://www.1800gambler.net
• Military OneSource: https://www.militaryonesource.mil (free, confidential counseling)
• TRICARE / Military Treatment Facility: Ask your provider about behavioral health support
• Chaplain Services: Confidential support for service members and families

🎙️ Episode Overview

In this episode of The Fiscal Foxhole, Omen and Rob tackle a difficult but timely topic: the normalization of gambling in everyday life, especially as we approach the Super Bowl, March Madness, and other major sporting events.

What used to require travel, cash, and public visibility is now instant, private, and always in your pocket. The hosts explore how that loss of friction has real consequences—not just financially, but emotionally, relationally, and professionally—particularly for military families.

Along the way, they connect gambling behavior to rising credit card debt, stress, financial secrecy, and the very human tendency to believe “this time it’s different.”

🧠 Key Topics Discussed

💳 Credit Card Debt in America

• Americans now carry $1.21 trillion in credit card debt, with 73% reportedly tied to “essentials.”
• Why labeling debt as “mandatory spending” can sometimes hide visibility and budgeting issues.

🎰 Gambling Has Changed (and That’s the Problem)

• Gambling didn’t get more dangerous—the barriers disappeared.
• Sports betting apps remove friction, privacy checks, and social visibility.
• Gambling is now marketed as “prediction markets” and financial products.

🧠 Addiction, Dopamine, and Personality

• Recognizing how gambling feels when it’s healthy vs. when it’s not.
• Warning signs: anger, chasing losses, secrecy, and emotional swings.
• Why knowing who you are matters more than knowing the odds.

✅ Practical Takeaways

• If gambling fits in your budget, you must also be okay losing 100% of it.
• Do it in the open—secrecy is a major warning sign.
• Freedom isn’t doing whatever we want—it’s doing what we ought to do to protect our future.

📣 Sponsor

This episode is brought to you by the Military Financial Advisors Association (MFAA)—a global network of independent, fee‑only fiduciary advisors who specialize in serving military families.

Learn more at https://militaryfinancialadvisors.org

📬 Stay Connected

Have a question or topic you’d like covered on the show?

• Email us: [email protected]
• Book a meeting with Omen
• Book a meeting with Rob