When people first start gambling, people think this is just a game, but over time it becomes a habit and leads to dependence. If addicted to gambling, players will constantly pursue bets leading to losses, extracting available money, even stealing, and cheating to get money to satisfy addiction. Regularly plan to get more gambling money, such as lying to family or acquaintances to borrow money to gamble. When the loss is extreme, family and friends stay away from the creditor to come to them. They can be psychologically unstable, sometimes leading to suicidal thoughts.
Yes, absolutely.
It's basically the same as any other addiction. Alcoholics usually start with a single beer, then a bit more, then suddenly they are drinking every day, all day.
It's the same mechanism in the brain, the dopamine creation loop.