How do you mean by having a chance of winning something and risking nothing? When it is about gambling, you must have to risk something before you win or get something from it. You will gamble your money first before you can have hope to win. Moreover, the bonding that comes in gambling is especially when you win then people want to associate with you notwithstanding if they were criticising you as addict. Of course failure has no followership but success has many that will begin singing of praise and worship. Same as in your family, I assume in the reason for such bonding and socialization is because of winning, if there are no winning and there are hard times through seeking for the winning, there won't be such bonding and in fact there will be criticism of money wasted and addiction