How can two persons be so addicted to gambling that they'll go to such an extent? Apparently the mother is definitely not a good role model to the son. The son definitely needs a strong father figure which is what he lacks. I don't like the punishment or fine give to them. It is not going to be in anyway effective. Their punishment could have been rehabilitation and community service.
The thing with chronic addicts is that, there's no limit to their creativity. Long as they can get the fix which in this case is getting more money or getting their losses back so they can gamble some more, they don't care about anything else. You could see this with cokeheads and crackheads, who sometimes go out of their way to sell appliances, pets, and even personal belongings just so they can get money to fund their addiction. The question of the mother not being a good role model is pretty much case-shut since how in the hell is your son afflicted to the same problem that you're in. As for the punishment, I would agree with you because at the end of the day once they get back to society they'll just resort to gambling and doing stupid things that will get them incarcerated again.