Gambling addicts need some help and unfortunately, they cannot help themselves to get out of the cycle without the help of others.
Gambling addiction is really difficult to stop. Some addicted gamblers are trying their possible best to stop gambling, but they are just finding it difficult, or maybe they haven’t done the appropriate thing that they should do. When you want to stop gambling, you need to seek external help, and you should be ready to help yourself. If you really want to stop gambling, then you need to have the mindset to stop gambling and then seek help from other people.
For the boy who just turned 18 years old, he might've been a responsible gambler but he is still in a risky position because at that age, he will still have some hardships weighing the situation which in turn make a bad decision in life. It's still to soon for him to take this path and it's best for him to find another hobby because he is still studying.
Yes, you are right, he might be a responsible gambler, but in most societies, they see gamblers as bad people. They don’t care if you are a responsible gambler or not, if you tell them you are a gambler, then you are already being tagged. The boy is 18 years old. How sure are you that the boy won’t end up being addicted to gambling? Even if he isn’t addicted to gambling yet, he is still young and might end up falling for gambling addiction, which I'm sure is what the mother is trying to avoid.