Since gambling is a game of luck I we say that,The best way to gamble is to gamble for fun and not the other way round as in taking gambling as investing that's not the best way to gamble and also gamble with the money you can afford to lose.There is no doubt that alot of people gamble to make profits yes, but that shouldn't make you take gambling as investing, because even if you gamble for fun you will still make profits if your games play as predicted. Taking gambling as investing is what lead to gambling addiction.
That is why I always recommend treating gambling as entertainment. And if I plan possible expenses on gambling or betting for the next month, I assume that the expenses for this will be in the Entertainment category. It turns out that if I want to go beyond the deposit, I will take the free money for a cafe and a movie from the next month. Like you, I do not consider gambling to be an investment.