I have never achieved anything that I could be proud off from gambling. I only consider gambling a fun activity and all I achieved from gambling is the entertainment only. I'm not someone with a very good luck especially when it comes to gambling but I really enjoy the gambling session and that's more than enough for me.
Maybe you take up gambling as a pastime but few people like you take up gambling as a pastime. Most gamblers choose gambling not as a pastime but as a source of income. I have learned only one lesson in my life that gambling can never bring anything good in a person's life. It helps in creating social disorder as well as organizing strife and major crimes. A gambler can commit the heinous crimes of kidnapping and woman abuse in addition to theft and robbery to manage his money.
You make sound gambling as an illness and a terrible activity to partake in with that post of yours. But in reality, gambling is not as black-and-white as you picture it. It is true that sick people, driven by their addiction to gambling can commit heinous crimes in order to continue to roll dices and spin slots for a while longer, but that does not mean all about gambling is negative and would only lead to bad consequences. I am sure there have been people who are responsible and during their first travel to Las Vegas had much fun in the casinos and then, returned to their homes happy. That kind of tourism is good for cities like Las Vegas. And the people who live off tourism.
It is easy to highlight the evil with comes with gambling, because of the pursue of money, but actually there are other things unrelated to gambling which also cause negative consequences.