I saw my cousin the other day playing slots on a very shitty website the other day. It was just a few days after payday.
I asked him in the kindest manner I could to explain himself, since he's deep in debt to a bank for a loan he took, why would he gamble instead of saving to pay back his loan early.
Apparently his bank doesn't give any benefits for early repayment. Even they had an insurance clause in their contract that in case of early repayment the inflation adjusted increases are not only forced in the payment, but also calculated based on a worse case scenario.
So my cousin argued that with the little he could save by the end of each month, there was zero point saving a few dozens of dollars in this economy. He just things he will keep playing slots because in case he wins big he can pay early just to not worry about the loan. Otherwise he just actually wants to lose this money because in case he misses a couple loan payments the bank will even try to compensate the pennies he would have left in his bank account and he doesn't want to let them do that. In his mind the money given to the casino is something the bank won't be able to recover.
This whole situation helped me realize many people who actually gamble do so with amounts they see pointless as saving, but also at the same time many of these people are in very dire financial situations already.
It's a very sad story. But at the heart of it is the stupidity of people.
The problem is that many people think that winning at gambling is an easier way to improve their situation than, for example, finding a second or third job. At the same time, debts and losses are the fault of fate, but not of the player who lost the ability to critically assess the situation.
And here people work in a vicious circle - debts, loss, depression, complaining about fate, searching for a simple and quick solution, and here, as a rule, they choose not a difficult way to earn money, but an easy way to win.
And the situation develops in a spiral to the bottom....