Plus since when do governments say the truth about social issues?
Actually, I understand most of these programs are simple substitution programs and they stick. They find an activity the afflicted person enjoys and feels proud of and good about and simply substitute it for the gambling. It takes reinforcement and encouragement and supervision, but it is supposed to work easily, successfully and permanently in most people.
No 10 steps (or however many) or drugs to help wean and I hear practically no relapse.
There may be other types of programs that have different methods and rates of recovery, but the above is the one type I have seen documentaries about.
And, yes, people have lost their money due to gambling, but no one ever dies from it, like mwack said.
The neighborhood corner store kills people with alcohol and nicotine. Even caught before people are anywhere near death, these addictions are a lot harder to fix from what I have seen.