Hobbies are one of the activities that we like and often do, so when we like gambling and often do it I think there is no need to be noisy not to say that it is considered a hobby, there is no need to debate further categorizing it, as long as you have principles in gambling, such as gambling responsibly, which means that the hobbies you do can be managed as well as the costs and risks.
Considered a hobby or not is just a claim, whatever you think about gambling as long as it is with principles that are safe for you and your finances, then that's the best, addiction will not come to you if you can control yourself well even if you consider gambling as a hobby.
I agree with your opinion here. Gambling can be a hobby as you have said but to be frank in the ears of some other people, it might sound awkward to them that people take gambling for such because some people already have conditioned their minds to the fact that gamblers are irresponsible and as such do not see them as people to reckon with in the society.
I'm this part of the world where I come from, it is a kind of taboo saying that you are a gambler not to mention it that you take gambling as a hubby. The day you make the mistake of saying that, you are just down graded to to least respected people around.
If the point of view is like that, it will be very difficult to find the point of meeting in this conversation, but to be an intermediary in your consideration and situation, the tone only needs to look like what you understand in your environment, you only need to know how to explain to whom You speak and where they came from, taboo will disappear because you adjust to your condition in such an environment.
As with other gamblers, you don't need to say that you are a gambler and say that gambling is your hobby.