gambling

«gambling» in Mova's school dictionary: playing games or betting money on something whose result… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

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

meaning for a pupil

1) Gambling is playing games or betting money on something whose result depends on luck, hoping to win more money. tree →

2) Gambling is also taking a big risk in the hope that things will turn out well. tree →

sense 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 →
• My uncle stopped gambling because he kept losing money. tree →
• The film showed people gambling at a casino in Las Vegas. tree →
• Buying lottery tickets every week is a kind of gambling. tree →
• Some video games have loot boxes that feel a lot like gambling. tree →
• In maths we learned why gambling usually loses money in the long run. tree →
• Crossing the road without looking is gambling with your life. tree →
• The coach said trying a new player in the final was gambling. tree →
• 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 →

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.

In the corpora

• "When the fun stops, stop" is a warning betting adverts must include, because gambling can become an addiction.
• Gambling is against the law under 18, and a child should never keep a grown-up's gambling or money worries secret.
• Loot boxes work like gambling, and some children have spent hundreds without their parents knowing.
• A loot box is like gambling: you pay without knowing what you will get.
• A loot box, where you pay without knowing what you get, works like gambling.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «gambling» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.