gambling

noun

gam·​bling ˈgam-b(ə-)liŋ 

: the practice or activity of betting : the practice of risking money or other stakes in a game or bet

illegal gambling

compulsive gambling

Then, within the past 18 months, after the explosion in Internet gambling … and the cable TV debut of the World Poker Tour, the game took off again.

—Walter Kirn

—often used before another noun

a gambling game

gambling regulations

a gambling empire

Examples of gambling in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families. —Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 23 Dec. 2025

Legalizes video gambling terminals in Chicago. —Marissa Sulek, CBS News, 20 Dec. 2025

Right up there with sports gambling and crypto as the dumbest and most obvious ways for a man to lose all his money. —Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025

The sports leagues have promised to tighten internal controls to track suspicious activity and have worked with sports gambling partners to cap wager amounts in certain performance-specific bets, which many observers have said are ripe for rigging. —Sylvan Lane, The Hill, 19 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1700, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing gambling

• anti-gambling

Rhymes for gambling

• ambling
• scrambling
• shambling