bookmaker

Everyday

1. A person or company that takes bets on horse races, football matches and other events and pays out if people win. Also called a «bookie». tree →
2. (rare) A person who makes or prints books. tree →

In the lessons

In money and adult-life lessons, a bookmaker is part of gambling, which is only for adults (18+ in the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand; it varies in the USA and Canada) and can lead to losing money. «Betting shop» or «the bookies» is where adults place bets. In maths, the odds a bookmaker gives link to probability.

Examples

• The bookmaker offered odds of 5 to 1 on the horse. tree →
• Gambling with a bookmaker is only for adults. tree →
• Grandad says the bookmaker always wins in the end. tree →
• There is a bookmaker's shop on the high street. tree →
• The bookmaker took bets on the cup final. tree →
• My uncle lost money at the bookmaker's. tree →
• Long ago, a bookmaker could also mean someone who bound books. tree →

Note

Countable: a bookmaker, bookmakers. Informal: bookie. «The bookmaker's» means the shop. Maths note: odds of 5 to 1 mean if you bet 1 pound and win, you get 5 pounds plus your 1 pound back; bookmakers set odds so that, overall, they make money.