It’s also popular in other forms these days. Wallstreetbets options gambling, most of crypto, the way many people are “trading” these is purely gambling with some bro-astrology.
When I was a poor teenager I was gambling online and it is an incredible way to lose money unlike anything. With the click of a button you can throw $100 or $1000 into the void- and you often follow it up until your account is empty. Hard to do with many other substances.