Unless the player's main purpose is to entertain himself and have relaxation or socialize with other people thru gambling means.  I have experienced this once, I was playing with my friends, it was a poker type game, with real money as a bet.  I enjoyed the moment even though I lost around 2 days worth of my salary.  I think it depends on the mindset of people playing.  If we condition our mind to play for entertainment and we accepted that the money is for entertainment, I think we won't be affected negatively if we lose it playing gambling games.