Gambling can be only referred as a short cut to poverty when the gambler becomes addicted to it. Gambling addiction is very deadly and would render whoever that's addicted to it poor and financial lack which is why gamblers are always advised to gamble responsibly and to take control of their gambling engagements. So if you know you gamble responsibly, I don't think you should have any fear of becoming poor because of your gambling activities.
We should be able to control all the possibilities that can happen from the start of gambling, such as addiction which often happens in general, because for people who are addicted they will definitely experience disruption to their finances and also their economy, the best solution is to leave gambling when you have experienced excessive losses in 1 week, take a break first,
Addiction not something that can be easily controlled most time it happens without one noticing it , maybe until you have gotten to a point of it becoming obvious, for instance can't start without gambling and stuff , one thing I keep telling people apart from use what you can afford to lose , is not getting addicted to gambling, because getting addicted with what can ruins you so bad.
^ In fact you cannot call gambling bad from any point of view until you have full control over it. It will make your life miserable if you get addicted to it otherwise it will entertain you like any other game. If you have a gun you can use it to kill people or you could use it to protect people's lives. So Gambling itself is not inherently bad like a gun but its good or bad will depend on the user.
Therefore, I agree the concept of responsible gambling should be developed. You need to realize when to stop your gambling. Play with control of anger and joy, if you get too emotional you will not be able to develop your sense of responsible gambling. Of course, age also plays a vital role in building up responsible gambling habits.
Anyway as you said addiction is not built in a day it grows slowly, I agree with you. When it comes to gambling, however, we need to be aware and develop a sense of moderation