I don’t think so. Gambling plays in pure chance. There’s really no strategy involved nor there is some kind of mathematical or even historical patterns to follow. However, with trading an investor can mitigate risks by following historical patterns and setting entry and exit points.

Honestly your friend lost a lot. One could regain it all back if invested in the right coin but since we are talking about bitcoin, he can definitely regain it all back if he just held it for longer. Altcoins are far better options for trading because of its volatility.