Total abstinence is the best method because when you totally leaves a thing that thing has no power over you again because the more you expose yourself to a thing the more that thing eats deep into you
Cold turkey is good and if one can sustain it, shows their willpower is strong and these people will recover faster than the ones who relapse into playing again.
It is difficult to keep the temptation of making money easily as the false hope and greed tend to bring us back to the cycle of loss and chasing the loss. We are all slaves to these habits and hence it is difficult but can be overcome with determination.
Getting addicted and then the deaddicted is a tough process indeed but it can be done and people have recovered from gambling addiction.