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# gambling

noun (gambling, uncountable); verb form of gamble (gamble, gambles, gambled, gambling)

«gambling» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Gambling is playing games or betting money on something whose result depends on luck, hoping to win more money. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gambling/#m1)
2. Gambling is also taking a big risk in the hope that things will turn out well. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gambling/#m2)

### In the lessons

In everyday life and safety it names a grown-up activity (casinos, lotteries, betting on horse races or football) that is against the law for children and can become a harmful habit called a gambling addiction. In maths it links to chance and probability: the chances of winning are usually small, and the house usually wins. Phrases: «gambling machine», «online gambling», «gambling problem», «gambling with someone's safety».

### Examples

- Gambling is not allowed for children. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gambling/#x1)
- My uncle stopped gambling because he kept losing money. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gambling/#x2)
- The film showed people gambling at a casino in Las Vegas. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gambling/#x3)
- Buying lottery tickets every week is a kind of gambling. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gambling/#x4)
- Some video games have loot boxes that feel a lot like gambling. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gambling/#x5)
- In maths we learned why gambling usually loses money in the long run. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gambling/#x6)
- Crossing the road without looking is gambling with your life. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gambling/#x7)
- The coach said trying a new player in the final was gambling. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gambling/#x8)
- While the tree was advancing, everything else at the castle was going backward, through feasting and gambling, for these are two rollers upon which nobody stands safely. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gambling/#x9)

### Note

Uncountable noun: say «gambling», not «a gambling». A person who gambles is a «gambler». Do not confuse with «gambolling» (lambs gambolling = jumping playfully). Myth: a losing streak does not make a win «due»; each spin or roll has the same chance. In maths problems about gambling, the expected result is usually a loss for the player.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «gambling» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/G/gambling/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«gambling» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/gambling.html) on Mova free.