bookie

book·ie | \ ˈbu̇-kē

\

plural bookies

Definition of bookie

informal

: a person who determines gambling odds and receives and pays off bets : bookmaker The "line"—the Vikings over the Giants by four points, for example—establishes the point spread that the bookie believes will attract gamblers in equal numbers to each side of the bet.— Jack El-Hai Funnily enough, I was never anxious to win one of these bets. I didn't want to collect from the bookie on any of them.— Art Buchwald

Examples of bookie in a Sentence

Their bookie is giving good odds.

Recent Examples on the Web The skepticism of Las Vegas bookies descended Tuesday night on the Bryce Jordan Center, where the nation’s No. — Don Markus, baltimoresun.com, "No. 4 Maryland basketball’s 10-game winning streak to start season ends with 76-69 loss to Penn State," 10 Dec. 2019 In addition, Heidner and convicted bookie Dominic Buttitta own a building that is leased to an Elgin bar that’s a venue for Gold Rush video gambling machines. — David Heinzmann, chicagotribune.com, "Despite scandal, lawmakers vote to block Illinois Gaming Board from preventing video gambling owners from selling without approval," 12 Nov. 2019 Schlichter, who feared the bookies would pressure him to throw games, was suspended for the entire 1983 season. — Ken Belson, New York Times, "N.F.L. Suspends Cardinals Player for Betting," 29 Nov. 2019 Ratner runs all over town, wheedling bookies, flying off the handle, straining to keep a younger mistress. — Jamie Lauren Keiles, New York Times, "Adam Sandler’s Everlasting Shtick," 27 Nov. 2019 Bets between friends are fine; taking bets like a bookie is not. — Michael Cabanatuan, SFChronicle.com, "Sports betting slow in coming to California: Here’s what it might look like," 21 Oct. 2019 A week ago, the Seahawks quarterback was such an apparent front runner that Las Vegas bookies and well-meaning-but-often-misled sportswriters trumpeted this status. — Usa Today Sports, USA TODAY, "NFL roundtable: Which player is front-runner for MVP?," 24 Oct. 2019 That makes Indiana the eighth state in the nation with legal online bookies. — cleveland, "PA Gov. wants to join interstate compact to reduce carbon output: The Flyover," 4 Oct. 2019 People betting on sports in California do so through bookies and offshore betting apps. — Michael Cabanatuan, SFChronicle.com, "Sports betting slow in coming to California: Here’s what it might look like," 21 Oct. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bookie.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.