It was really the only life he'd known for a long time, and Joe liked the bright lights, scantily clad women and lively surroundings of the gambling establishments. He visited his father regularly for awhile, then the visits became less frequent, until finally, a visit to his dad was the last thing on his mind. And in direct proportion to his withdrawal from the relationship with his dad, he became re-entangled in the same life he had walked away from. Until we've done business with God through Jesus Christ, we all have a debt we can't pay, no matter how good we think we are. He's willing to take on the debt, in fact, He already has.
Sin calls for the death penalty.
Just like Joe was under a sentence of death from his gambling creditors, those who have not accepted Christ as our Savior are under a sentence of death because of the sin we inherited from Adam, not to mention our own sins. So some of us have come to Christ. But the pull of the old life of gambling with death and the bright lights of the world constantly summon us back to the way we used to live. Some accept Christ and never do anything at all for him, seldom or never speak to Him in prayer, and worship is the last thing on their minds on Sundays or any other time. Their lives become so stained and filthy that they become virtually undistinguishable from those who have never met Christ as Savior.