I don’t think gambling is any more escapist than movies, TV, podcasts, games, books, or literally any other form of entertainment. Entertainment is escapism.
Those other forms of entertainment don't have nearly the destructive potential on a person's life and finances that gambling can have. A movie is a $5 one-time purchase, gambling is an endless recurring purchase that may not stop until the person is bankrupt, if they have addictive tendencies.