One of the primary reasons why people stay addicted for long is to win big. They think a big win will solve financial and all other problems in their lives.
Greed has been a killer. I know of a close family friend who go so addicted to gambling that he ended up gambling with his landed properties and this happened when he was in his late 50s this made him look so frustrated and died out of cardiac arrest. I feel gambling should remain a game of fun and not a get rich scheme and that way one can minimize his stakings and make good profits as well over time