Actually gambling addiction do comes in gradual process, it doesn't comes at a time but how to control it in the early stage is always a problem that most gamblers normally having. Because though they would be seeing it as something that very common without realizing that as day goes by that is how they getting more addicted in gambling. So however, I think it's essential to understand when you are getting addicted to gambling and prevent yourself from it, because that is the only way a gambler can be free addiction.
If you're susceptible to addiction, no matter how much advice from other people that says that you have to control your emotions and how you gamble, you will still lose that fight and get addicted, you are right that it's a gradual process but you have to understand that one taste is all it takes, can you all not feel the excitement you've felt when you gamble? That high in dopamine is going to be a thing that your brain is going to look for once the high subsides, it will continue to chase that until it's never enough. There's also the psychological belief that many gambling addicts share which is the belief that as long as they continue gambling, they're eventually going to hit the big win that has been elusive of them since the beginning.