So am just curious to know if these little games are the one's that got to him or already developed such habit and to know if possible that the practice will continue elsewhere after leaving there when he lost the money and to look for means through gambling to recover it.
Well, you must know or realize that people are different in behaviors and thoughts, and every other thing, and because of this difference, we all sometimes or most of the time; act and react differently to different situations and challenges.
I personally do hang around with friends every Sunday to play some fun football games, but even in this game, and we all knowing fully well that it's just for fun, I still find some of us who go all in in it to win the match, and they are losing, they are not happy, we see them struggling, starting baseless arguments and even ready to fight if it warrants them fighting.
So, in the end, we all should know that addiction isn't only based on what people make money from, anybody can be addicted to anything at all, it could be gambling, friendly sports, alcohol, food, porn and so on and on, becoming addicted to anything a person loves is easy, this is why we usually find some people who love playing football physically with friends, and their love for this game has turned into addiction as they can't go a whole day without playing football.
So, I guess the answer to your question should be a straight yes, anything or form of sports can be addictive to anybody, all it takes is for the person to love doing that things with passion, and if not controlled, he or she can easily become addicted to that thing.