You're running a pretty old version of Gambit - you might want to update to something more recent.
Indeed, debian and ubuntu's versions are completely outdated. He *should* want to update to something more recent…
Compiling gambit isn't too hard, takes at most 20 minutes (while you browse the web), and you can have several versions installed concurrently (I know Marc had this in mind when he chose the installation options), so having your own recent gambit installation in your home should be the easiest solution.
And don't hesitate to send a friendly email to the debian/ubuntu maintainers of gambit, requesting an update.
P!