Whether most of this is true or not, the possibility is certainly sobering.

I remember a striking memory from my first football season in Las Vegas, back in the early 80's. I had sat for a full Sunday next to a well-dressed guy at the Stardust. By the end of the first round of games, he was begging me for ten dollars to play a parlay card and his hands were shaking. Looked as if he'd done a speedball; don't think he had. Anyway, it was quite a caveat for me, in my early 20's.

The word "recreational" in front of the word "gambling" does not make it okay or easy or not dangerous. It's like "recreational" drug use.

Best book I've encountered in 40 years of gambling: "Addiction by Design" by anthropologist Natasha Schull.