well, for me, its an addiction, simply put, and I needed to finally admit it was more than just a habit. This addiction took away my soul, my heart, my reasoning, money meant nothing to me. Now, one day at a time, things are getting better, including finances, because, for today, I am in recovery. But, the wreckage especially in the beginning of my recovery was almost overwhelming, I had to rob paul to pay peter, and wasn't sure how I was going to make it. End result was, I did make it, I also know, that if I gamble again, it will be just as bad as it was the last time I placed a bet. It will be okay, I promise.

For your electric bill, it is worth investigating a few things. Some churches will help fellow parishioners, some electric companies have funds for those that are struggling, (the one in my town does). St. Vincent De Paul and Catholic Community services help people with electric bills in my town also. Just a suggestion that may or may not help you.
Yes, it is a addiction, very similar unfortunately to heroin addiction. Certainly the same kind of chemical saturation in our brains.(Dopamine is produced in abundance in heroin, cocaine, meth and gambling addiction.) Dopamine is so powerful we are driven, sometimes in a sort of a black out to continue to seek out the high that gambling gives us. (Sometimes at the end of a run, I could not remember how many times I went to the ATM.) We are next to helpless in the throes of addiction, getting professional help is what I needed. (Paid for in my state by state lottery funds.)
You must fight for your life in this addiction. My best suggestion is to use every tool you come across and every technique you can find. If you can stay abstinent for 3-4 months, it gets easier.
First steps for many of us is to put some barriers between ourselves and our money. Self banning, getting rid of ATM and Credit Cards, having a friend or relative to be accountable to about where our money goes is helpful. Counseling by a counselor trained specifically in gambling addiction was what I needed in addition to a support group, an education group, learning to do self-care and many other tools I had to implement to get through the first few months. Then I have to really make an honest effort to take a daily inventory of how I feel, what I need to do to take care of business and to take care of myself today. I do not usually get everything done, but progress not perfection is the goal.
The only way to really delve into the WHY of your addiction will likely mean you need to work with a counselor to uncover and examine the trauma, grief, loss, abuse, disappointments and pain in your life.
Then examine your beliefs about gambling. Frequently FALSE beliefs about gambling keep us going back. For instance, when I was gambling, I believed that I could get ahead by gambling. Totally FALSE for me, there would never be a big enough payoff for me to feel I could walk away, in fact, a win meant I could spend more time gambling until it was ALL GONE.
I hope you can find some relief and help here on D/S, but please do whatever it takes to break away.