I don't want to take care of my elderly father
Is your elderly father hard to take care of?
I have heard he has some outstanding gambling debts that I would never be help to help with.
Taking care of elderly parent is not easy and shouldn't be made to seem easy but it's your father.  You only have one father and that in itself is priceless, who cares about the debt. It's not right to abandon him when he has given you so much of his life.
You've never seen him or knew him. I checked with mom and she says it's not true and that he's shady.
I'm sorry that is happening to you. It's not okay to abandon your father if he needs someone. If you are not physically able to take care of him, then you could always get some help.