I also used to gamble and based on experience i agree with the benefits that you gained on gambling. However for me, mentally i had been able to improve my analytical skills since card games which i used to play requires analytical skills and the longer i played the better i become. Emotionally i think it help me improve my emotions on winning and lossing. In addition to this i think gambling somehow helped me make some money since i was able to buy some useful things at home  whenever i won something big. But to top it all i thinks it really developed my personality now. How i see life today and how i control my life now is based on all the experiencea i had in gambling