Well for my experience with gambling i had lost around 2000dollars soo it had made a damage into my life on the short time,period were money i had saved and i could has used it to more usefull things.But well we learn with our mistakes,nowadays i do trade altcoins ,but only with what i earn from signatures,i cant no longer risk money from savings since i have a family now,on that time i were alone when i started those.
golden rule with gambling is to only bet what you can afford to lose & I can't stress that enough. Just gamble as a hobby, don't go chasing unrealistic amounts & stupid dreams because it'll only end in disaster. More often than not the bookie wins, remember that.