It depends of how we may interpret and understand it, and as for me gambling is really fun because it does not only amuses me but it also entertains me a lot. So it is not just excitement and thrills when you do this with friends or family's it is the reaction that you will witness in every bet or game result's which will probably make you smile. Win or loose brother you will smile from their reaction.
When you are with some friends or family members gambling can become allot of fun even if you do not win anything but just because of the vibe.
You are having a good time and when you are with some people somebody has to win.
Under that situation you will really enjoy gambling and you will not lose a big amount of money, you could try different games to be more entertain when gambling, the sad thing in gambling to be honest is only when we lose an amount that we cannot afford to lose.