Hi Jay2K, i know what you mean. My poison is also football gambling, and I have been caught up in it for the past 4 months. The obsession is very real, and unfortunately, extremely hard to break away from.
And you are right to suspect that you might just be gambling for the thrill of it. A study by one of the world’s leading experts in addiction has said that gambling is not a failure of will, but a brain disorder. You can watch BBC’s short interview with him here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BF5SzIN63w8
I have recently restarted my journey to recovery, and I hope we will both succeed. There are many people on this forum who have gone through similiar and also much worse situations, and I hope their journeys will help you kick this addiction for good. Hang in there!