I think the lottery can be a healthy form of gambling since it gives you something to look forward to and can inspire you to imagine a better future for yourself, even if it is a future gained by not doing any work to earn it.
The pokies are a bit more grim, they do not inspire any higher imaginings but rather just let you dissociate for a time in the present.
Dissociation has its uses but playing the pokies is an expensive way to do it.