plural bookies
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
Jack El-HaiFunnily 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
Art BuchwaldExamples of bookie in a Sentence
Their bookie is giving good odds.
Recent Examples on the Web
From November 2021 to January 2024, Mizuhara wired funds through his electronic devices and IP addresses to the bookie, authorities said.
—Tony Saavedra, Orange County Register, 11 Apr. 2024
There are two main reasons: to avoid paying taxes, and because bookies famously extend credit, a professional sports bettor told Forbes.
—Danielle Chemtob, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
This forced gamblers to either bet with a bookie or an offshore site.
—Jay L. Zagorsky, The Conversation, 22 Mar. 2024
The sites provide bookies a private page listing their customers’ activity.
—David Wharton, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024
So why bet with a bookie when there are so many legal options?
—Danielle Chemtob, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
And betting is no longer just a casino bookie set up in Las Vegas.
—Rivan Stinson, Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2024
Wilson recalled that some of the bookies became customers at the bar.
—Katie Wiseman, The Indianapolis Star, 3 Jan. 2024
And they are being asked by Las Vegas bookies, the NFL’s partners.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Sep. 2023
Tony Saavedra, Orange County Register, 11 Apr. 2024
There are two main reasons: to avoid paying taxes, and because bookies famously extend credit, a professional sports bettor told Forbes.
—Danielle Chemtob, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
This forced gamblers to either bet with a bookie or an offshore site.
—Jay L. Zagorsky, The Conversation, 22 Mar. 2024
The sites provide bookies a private page listing their customers’ activity.
—David Wharton, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024
So why bet with a bookie when there are so many legal options?
—Danielle Chemtob, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
And betting is no longer just a casino bookie set up in Las Vegas.
—Rivan Stinson, Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2024
Wilson recalled that some of the bookies became customers at the bar.
—Katie Wiseman, The Indianapolis Star, 3 Jan. 2024
And they are being asked by Las Vegas bookies, the NFL’s partners.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Sep. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bookie.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near bookie
Cite this Entry
“Bookie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bookie. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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