Gambling doesn't always excite me but sometimes when I'm depressed or have a lot of free time I feel that gambling can give me a peace.
I have seen several people around me that who are very addicted person to gambling and always they get in to a large debt and interesting think is most of them I'll get over excited when they play gambling.
I think that's the essence of gambling I guess. That time when you bet all that you have including the house that you sold for a bet and the result could either you make it or you blow it goin being broke. That's the thrill that would make your heart pound 3x faster. And when you are at peace, it's either you are following your plan so the outcome doesn't really matter to you, or you are playing with the insignificant money that you are truly willing to lose.
For me I get the same thrills when I want to have a win and share and flex it to my friends. So even with that small wins, it excites me because I'm about to share my experience with my friends.