For quite some years I have had a William Hill on-line account. I put £10 in it in May 2014, popped another £10 in the early part of this year (February or March) ans still have about £2.70 in it.
I will sometimes do a couple of bets twice a week or so, sometimes not bother for about a month.
My bets consist of 10p each way, so each bet costs me 20p. I only do the horse racing, and thoroughly enjoy studying form or following certain horses. Sometimes my 20p stake will return around £2 or so, sometimes nothing. Even when I do have a "good" win, and people say "bet you wish you'd done it for £20 each way!" no, I don't ! I'm quite happy with the way I do it, and if I lose 20p, it's not the end of the world. I do understand that there are some people who would not be able to control it, but fortunately I can.
I agree about the scratch cards, when I was working in Bideford and used to go into Morrisons at 8.30 to get a newspaper, there were people handing over handfuls of them, getting their winnings and promptly spending the lot on another batch.
Yes, gambling is a problem for some people, but not all, just as there are those who can enjoy a glass of wine without drinking the whole bottle.