Hi everyone, I am hoping someone here has had a similar situation and can offer some advice or words of encouragement. And I'll apologize in advance for the length of the post.

I met my bf in AC last summer. I've been pretty upfront since about my gambling since then.

We're going on vacation in a month. I may have mentioned this -- I got a great bonus at work this year, it's the first year I haven't had to put the bulk of it to student loans, and so I want to treat us to a vacation. I proposed that I'd pick up the big-ticket items (hotel and air) and he could pick the destination. He picked Vegas -- back in February. Since then, it's been a semi-constant issue for us and I just don't know what to do and I'm also sick of being defensive.

He doesn't like the idea that I said I would "have to" gamble each day we're there. I think I phrased it poorly with the "have to" but I meant it more that I like to gamble, we're going to be in Vegas and we're going to be staying at these fantastic hotels on my comps, so there was play expected too. I did say that I expect to gamble only an hour or two each day since there's plenty of other stuff we'll want to do there. I've offered also to switch to staying at a non-casino hotel or staying at the places we're booked at ... not through my offers.

I think, quite honestly, that he thinks I have a gambling problem. I think that stems mainly from my personality which borders on obsessive (ha) and so when I find something I like (straight no chaser, Mets & Rangers, slotting, my friends even) I really put a lot of effort in or I learn a lot about it or get excited about it. So he sees me get excited about the offers I receive or if we're at the casino, seeing a high progressive on 88 fortunes and wanting to play that machine, and is uncomfortable with that. It doesn't help that I told him my mom disapproves too.

But I think it's really more my personality type than me having a problem (let me know if you disagree). I'm incredibly responsible with my money otherwise ... and I'm also very generous with it -- with my siblings mainly but also with him.

Last night it came up again and he phrased it as -- "we're going on our first vacation together, I want to spend that whole week with you, and I'm going to be sitting there wondering when you're leaving me to go gamble." The initial sentiment is sweet but I also think that's unfair.

I don't mean to portray him in such a bad light -- he really is a great guy otherwise -- but I don't want this to ruin our trip or to irreparably harm our relationship. One solution could be for me not to gamble there but I think that's unfair -- it's something I like to do and we're in Vegas of all places.

So .... this is a long way of asking -- has anyone on this great forum dealt with a similar situation? I'd love to hear any words of wisdom. The answer isn't breaking up with him over this -- he's more important to me than gambling so probably the longer-term effect of this could be less gambling -- but at the moment, I want to make sure our first vacation together is a good one. The answer could be to tell him to get over himself already -- he's certainly a baby in certain respects -- I'll give you that

Thanks!!