Borrowing money is not a wrong idea but what you're borrowing such money for could be the problem but if it's in a good investment asset which you have done your background check on it, then you're good to go (it's called good debt). But the one narrated in the OP which is about borrowing to trade or gamble, that's bad debt and it can ruin you. It's inevitable you wouldn't be under pressure gambling or trading from a loan money because you'll eager to meet up deadline.
What you are saying is not far from the truth but have you taught about it that you might still run loss if you use a borrowed money to start up a business or invest wrongly?
Borrowing money to expand and existing business is very much better than borrow money to start up, because that business might fail to yield the expected revenue, and you will start feeling unrest on how to pay back, but if you can pay back from another source easily, it's a risk that is worth taking.
And most importantly, the kind of loan that will be considered for such activities is the loan that will be repaid back installmentally, and it's spread across three to five years interval.