Yes, I think that when a person goes into a bad situation like that, they can feel a bit numb from all the stress and losses.
The idea of trying to win more money in gambling, which is the way the gamblers lost their money to begin with, is basically what can be seen as the start of an addiction...
When the "cure" becomes the "problem", that is when the feedback loops start to present more and more obviously.
It's a slippery slope, and a gambler must be prepared to stop when this happens.
Many years ago I couldn't stop and lost a large sum of money. I still think about it. What prompted me to dive headlong into the world of gambling at that time? What was the reason? I still can't find the answers to these questions. Was there little money? Then why did I go and lose the last of it? Did I want to escape from reality to another world? Yes, perhaps, but somehow it doesn't convince me. I don't know... It's all strange, of course. I'd like to figure it all out so that such situations don't happen again.