I don't believe gambling can be a means of survival or a "potential hedge against the loss of purchasing power." This makes no sense to me even in countries experiencing high inflation.

Gambling cannot be considered an investment or a hedge because it relies on luck and while you may win once, you may lose many times. Therefore, you may end up losing all of your money due to gambling, instead of preserving the value of your money against inflation.
The best way to hedge against inflation is to buy Bitcoin or gold.