there is a really old saying that "everyone gets what they want from the market"
Ive heard and read a lot of sad tales as well. The cool thing is the Market is like the best bookie on the planet, you can bet as big as you can dream ( and often even 2x-4x bigger with credit). Unfortunately, the Market can be like the worst bookie on the planet she doesnt cut you off nor does she care or even see your misery.
I really have to work on catching myself sometimes, it takes a lot of mental energy. You can probably feel it when youre playing and just gambling vs trading. Ive known some legit degenerate *** gamblers, the s*** is real dude. You get a rush, dopamine, adrenaline just like other addictions.
But just given what you stated doesnt necessarily mean theyre degenerate gamblers, trading is a tough business. So to answer your question huge losses doesnt necessarily = gambler. trading is a tough business. If you talk with them for just a few minutes you can probably tell if theyre degenerate gamblers or just hit some bad variance.