Can TrappedByGamblingDebts be used even if the character doesn't do something evil?

The trope description for Trapped by Gambling Debts makes it seem like it's particularly a trope where it's used for a motivation for a character to do something evil. I saw a use of the trope where it is just used to describe a character who has large gambling debts but never betrays the main characters or does some morally bankrupt scheme to repay them or anything. Is this an appropriate use of the trope?

Just having debt (from gambling or otherwise) isn't sufficient. The next part of the trope is that a promise to pay those debts is used to motivate the character to do something they wouldn't. That's often something immoral, but not required.

There is probably a missing super trope between this and Healthcare Motivation for "character takes on a task to pay a debt", but this one is specific to gambling debts.

The task doesn't have to be evil/immoral/illegal, but the character has to be forced into it because of their bad gambling habits.

It's in a weird spot:

• "Gambling" seems like an unnecessarily narrow qualifier for "debt as villainy motivation", personally. Take Squid Game where the volunteers for the Deadly Game have different debts they need to pay.
• On the other hand. "gambling debts" seems like it would motivate a character in other ways than villainy or morally ambiguous actions, in addition to characterizing them as irresponsible (in a way that, say, hospital bills or suddenly losing your job don't).

Edited by Synchronicity on Oct 20th 2022 at 1:43:08 PM

There's Work Off the Debt.