Actually, it not about the past but about what activities can make him feel happiness and satisfaction because loneliness can make someone have thoughts that are more likely to look for things he can do but it is also very enjoyable to get rid of boredom or feelings of loneliness.
If in the past he liked to gamble then it is very likely that even now he still gambles even though the intensity has decreased quite lot, but at least he still occasionally enters gambling sites to play.
And of course for a lonely gambler, this is the right time or momentum to fulfill their passion for gambling, they tend to want to use some money to play or bet because that is one way they can do it when they have boring free time.
The same thing will be very different for someone who doesn't like gambling because they will of course do other activities that they usually do.
I think it all depends on each person habits and gambling habits, so the first thing people think about is gambling and other habits such as traveling, so they will seek pleasure by traveling, not everyone will be able to jump into gambling straight away.
But it does not rule out the possibility that gambler will look for other more useful activities, such as looking for busy work or producing number of valuable items that can be sold.
Habits are the main influence in person way of thinking, but attitude will also determine what must be done, it just that if we talk about most or almost all of it, habits are still things that are always thought about and done at any time.
They could be thinking about their gambling past, so they want to go back to feeling it again, especially now that they are alone and don't have many meaningful activities. Yes, they should be able to look for other activities that can help them get rid of boredom or feelings of loneliness so they won't go back to gambling again. If he has been gambling for a long time and when he is alone, he is still gambling, it will only make him deeper into gambling and he will not be able to stop his gambling activities. When he gambles more and more often in his solitude, he may not want to do other activities because he is not interested in doing them so he will continue gambling and spend his time gambling without any desire to do other things.
But it is true what you say that it depends on each individual's habits. If they have gambled before, they will probably want to gamble again, especially if they have more free time and are not doing other things. They will see what they can make of gambling and will probably check their gambling account to see their remaining cash balance.
If they sell their things just because they want to gamble more often or use more money, that will be a problem for them because it is a sign that someone is starting to get deeper into gambling. They must be able to think about not getting too deep into gambling, especially if they have experienced gambling in the past, so they know what to avoid when gambling. They also have to start reducing their gambling habits if they feel they are starting to become dependent on gambling. Otherwise, they can get deeper into gambling and eventually become addicted to gambling.