Sometimes sharing your story is like therapy honestly. What if he has noone to talk to and this helps him cope? Sure he looks bad but he also is at least admitting a problem and trying to figure it out. I'd much rather see this route taken vs disappearing n scamming.
Yeah, I also appreciated that he did not disappear but decided to create a thread and share what he has been going through. We may have different points of view. But as he says, he has worked with you before which you did not deny means you may know a little more about him than other forum members.
All we can do is, give some suggestions and share our opinion. So far, the community seems supportive which may give him some mental strength. Since he is in a campaign and has some part-time jobs that he may do which will allow him to make some money, I guess he would be able to pay back the debt if he does not start gambling again.