I consider that when things get out of control they will never be a hobby or anything fun , Especially because what is lost is money and that is already something delicate, therefore when we decide to do things right we must have great money management so as not to lose it completely, fun at the casino can depend on ourselves, we can play once or twice a Week , but we should still make reasonable bets and not something that harms us, if we play every day the most probable thing is that we will have an impressive money leak, then it is not something profitable , I would not say that it is a hobby, I would define it as adult fun.
Even if the hobby turns addictive, it still doesn't stop the fact that it's a hobby, it only stops been a hobby when we no longer do it for leisure or fun but for the sole purpose of making money, at that point it's no longer a hobby but an extra job for an extra income, also known as a job on the side. Even with an addictive habit, a hobby remains one only that at they point, it may be gradually turning into a harmful practice that may have some negative effects on the gambler and in the long run becomes a problem for those who are around him too aswell.
When a player is addicted and still tags it a hobby he could be deceiving himself and the people around him. Addiction is not fun, but hobby is, and it's quite very hard for a person to stop gambling when addicted. It's simple to assume that hobby could lead to addiction, but once it has crossed that level of hobby to compulsive gambling, then the player already have no control over his indulgence in the game. And that's really a red flag for the gambler. So, when gambling as a hobby, instead of waiting till addiction grabs into our hobby, canceling the hobby could help. Because, hobby is not meant to be abused. It's meant to remain fun and nothing else.