The Mishna on Amud Aleph tells us:
MISHNA: The following are unfit to give testimony, as they are considered thieves and robbers: One who plays with dice [kubbiyya] or other games of chance for money; and those who lend money with interest; and those who race pigeons and place wagers on the outcome;
The Gemara Sanhedrin (24b) offers reasons for why a career gambler is unfit as a witness, one of them is that he is not engaged in socially redeeming and productive activity. In Hebrew, שאינו עוסק ביישובו של עולם
While we are on the topic of gambling and this is psychology of the daf, let’s discuss gambling addiction or compulsive gambling. Gambling is what’s known as a process addiction. That is, there is no external drug or chemical that feeds this behavior. Rather, the body’s own internal pharmacy somehow reacts and produces a high so strong, that certain persons become as addicted to the process as if it were meth or crack.
According to researchers Potenza, Fiellin, Heninger, Rounsaville, and Mazure ( Journal of Gen Intern Med. 2002 Sep; 17(9): 721–732. ):
Gambling is a widespread activity, with 86% of the general adult population endorsing lifetime participation in traditional forms of gambling and 52% of adults reporting participation in past-year lottery gambling. While the majority of people gamble, a minority meet the criteria for a gambling disorder.
The DSM IV-R criteria for Pathological Gambling are:
Persistent and recurrent maladaptive gambling behavior as indicated by 5 (or more) of the 10 following criteria:
(1) Is preoccupied with gambling (e.g., preoccupied with reliving past gambling experiences, handicapping or planning the next venture, or thinking of ways to get money with which to gamble)
(2) Needs to gamble with increasing amounts of money in order to achieve the desired excitement
(3) Has repeated unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop gambling
(4) Is restless or irritable when attempting to cut down or stop gambling
(5) Gambles as a way of escaping from problems or of relieving a dysphoric mood (e.g., feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety, depression)
(6) After losing money gambling, often returns another day to get even (“chasing” after one's losses)
(7) Lies to family members, therapist, or others to conceal the extent of involvement with gambling
(8) Has committed illegal acts such as forgery, fraud, theft, or embezzlement to finance gambling
(9) Has jeopardized or lost a significant relationship, job, or educational or career opportunity because of gambling
(10) Relies on others to provide money to relieve a desperate financial situation caused by gambling
And, that the The gambling behavior is not better accounted for by a manic episode. One can misdiagnose gambling and other impulsive behaviors as an addiction when, in fact, they are part of manic or hypomanic activity.
There also seems to be a link between certain genetic dispositions toward other addictions as well as anti-social and personality disorders. In fact, even the internal chemical and neurological pathways seem to be similar to that of addiction:
“Early results from investigations of cue-induced gambling urges in pathological gambling subjects have identified abnormal functioning of limbic circuitry (including the anterior cingulate cortex) and frontal cortex, regions previously found to be differentially activated in cocaine-dependent subjects during exposure to cocaine cues.”
In other words, the addict's brain reacts to gambling in a similar way as it reacts to Cocaine.
When gambling is as part of our culture and as ubiquitous as scotch at a Kiddush, are there any preventive measures we should be taking to protect our children from Gambling Addiction? Just as we recognize that young developing nervous systems need to be protected from misusing alcohol, we also need to be watchful of how children are exposed to gambling. I am personally not a believer that the best way to protect children from alcohol or any scourge is extreme sheltering. Teenagers experiment with drinking, and to some degree will experiment with gambling as well, such as Lotto and scratch off cards. Most people do feel a small high or rush when taking a risk and fantasizing they might win big. It is important to educate and explain to your child about that high and its seductive qualities, and even let them buy a lottery ticket or two to experience it. You also should explain behavioral mechanisms of gambling which use intermittent reinforcement as a way to promote the activity.
Intermittent reinforcement is a behavioral phenomenon where rewards are given only intermittently and randomly. This is even more powerful than positive reinforcement as you are teaching the person to withstand certain losses and disappointments in favor of an eventual payoff. Worse, many gambling games and devices such as Lotto or slot machines give occasional small payouts to fool the nervous system into thinking, “I really was close…next time I’ll win big.” This is especially devious because aside from using intermittent reinforcement, it also creates a psychological illusion of getting close to the target. If you were using a bow and arrow and you took 10 shots, if three of them got close to the bull’s-eye you would rightfully consider yourself becoming more skillful and closer to eventually hitting the Bullseye. However, if you play some kind of scratch off numbers game, and once in a while you win five dollars or $25, psychologically you think you’re getting close to the jackpot. In reality that’s not true. The game is rigged and designed to give small payouts 10,000 fold more frequently than an actually significant pay out. Winning small feels like you’re getting close to something. In reality, you’re getting close to nothing except becoming an addict.
Teaching your child how these systems work, how they manipulate and ensnare, are good ways to inoculate them against addiction. Feeling it and seeing it is even more powerful than just hearing about it. Under proper supervision, it is not such a crazy idea when they are curious, to allow them to gamble a small amount of their allowance on a daily numbers game, to see what it feels like and learn about their reactions.
Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation 
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