When you are depending on someone for assistance because you want to gamble it means that you are risking what you can not afford to lose. Why because you don't have the money to gamble but someone have to give it to you before you can stake.
But when you have jobs that pays you money so well and you are gambling it means you are risking what you can afford to lose. Why because ones you lose your job will give you another money.
However, many people would say even if you have jobs but you are staking higher it also means you are gambling with what you can not afford to lose. Moreover it's true and I have to dauth but I have a feeling that ones someone that have a good paying job is staking more than what he can afford to lose, there is no different between addiction there.
It is all about risk/budget management.
Let's say you have $1000 disposable income every month which you can choose to spend on anything you want. It could be investing, it could be a vacation, a cellphone... whatever. Mind that, that $1000 you have is after making every other mandatory payments like bills, groceries, rent etc...
Then you can choose to spend all of that $1000 on gambling. It means you can afford to lose that $1000. It wouldn't be a wise decision but losing that $1000 also won't have a bad impact on your daily life.
If you can't pay for your basic daily needs first, then you shouldn't be gambling. That's how you can't afford to lose because you have other more important priorities than gambling.