gambling

1 of 2

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

gambling

2 of 2

present participle of gamble entry 1

Examples of gambling in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

From the time of Bitcoin’s 2009 launch, crypto had occupied the murkier end of legal gray zones; in the eyes of CFTC regulators, crypto prediction markets, which inherited the moral and legal residue of gambling prohibition, were doubly marked. — Simon Denny, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026

The real question is whether Pennsylvania and cities like Pittsburgh and Philadelphia want skill games and other gambling opportunities to be widespread and unavoidable for people who struggle with compulsions to gamble. — Jonathan Caulkins, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026

That’s one reason why a bipartisan coalition of 44 states have argued in court that prediction platforms should be subjected to state laws and regulated like gambling. — Marshall Cohen, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026

The group of alders instead advanced a budget raising revenue by hiking the plastic bag tax, liquor taxes, allowing ads on light poles and city vehicles, and legalized video gambling terminals in the city of Chicago. — Sara Tenenbaum, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1700, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing gambling

• anti-gambling

Rhymes for gambling

• ambling
• scrambling
• shambling