If a government can't be successful in curbing gambling addiction by a strict ban, what reason do you have in believing it would be successful by educating its citizens?
If a ban that comes with penalties, even jail time, won't stop people from gambling, do you think a TV program telling them the negative effects of uncontrolled gambling will?
I don't think so. I think the government is trapped in a 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' situation in confronting the evils of gambling. You can't easily kill gambling, that's why some governments would rather embrace and earn from it than make it illegal but still have it as a source of so much problem.