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

The aldermen's bid to lift the city's ban on video gambling terminals assumes 80% of the 3,300 eligible businesses would apply for licenses, but that the state would take up to eight months to grant licenses. —Todd Feurer, CBS News, 16 Dec. 2025

The online-gambling industry has supposedly acted like Big Tobacco, as have the tech industry and the plastic industry. —Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 16 Dec. 2025

The relationship between sports betting advertising and sports betting addiction has garnered more attention over the last couple of years, especially as sports gambling has been described as a public health concern. —Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 16 Dec. 2025

However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families. —Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 16 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1700, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing gambling

• anti-gambling

Rhymes for gambling

• ambling
• scrambling
• shambling