The present ethnographic research study has combined observation of gambling practices in commercial venues hosting slot machines, with interviews involving over 100 interlocutors undergoing rehabilitation for gambling disorder. The paper delves into a phenomenon which, in Italy, on one hand, has gone through processes of normalization as a recreational consumer product as many others, and on the other hand, risks placing the burden of addiction-related problems solely on single individuals. Exploring their experiences, it has been possible to reveal the contradictions and ambiguities of a market offering increasingly engaging products, for which individuals are expected to demonstrate the ability to ‘gamble responsibly’, while restraining themselves within difficult-to-define thresholds.