Best Gambling Board Games

Board games have surged in popularity, becoming a cultural phenomenon enjoyed by players of all ages. Among the countless themes available, gambling board games stand out for bringing the thrill of wagering to your tabletop.

Whether you’re simulating horse races, gladiator chariot races, slot machines, or even classic casino games like roulette, gambling board games offer something for every fan of strategic risk-taking. Dive into the world of gambling board games and discover the excitement they bring to your next game night.

1. Ready, Set, Bet

Ready, Set, Bet

Designer

John D. Clair

Players

2-9

Length

45-60 Minutes

Complexity

1.30/5.00

Publisher

AEG

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Ready, Set, Bet by Alderac Entertainment Group and designer John D. Clair is perhaps the best example of a betting or gambling board game on this list. The title is built around the concept of attending horse races at a track.

Throughout four rounds, 2-9 players will bet on the outcome of races and roll dice to see if they have won. Players are also able to place bets while the race is still going, simulating the “in-play” feature or live betting, which is another massively fun part of the experience.

Players can also benefit from a special VIP Club Card that is awarded to help them sway Lady Luck and possibly win more in subsequent rounds.

All told, Ready, Set, Bet is one of the most fun gambling board games that involves traditional betting elements, and makes sure that no matter how many players are involved, you won’t know the outcome until the very last dice has been rolled!

2. Vegas Showdown

Vegas Showdown

Designer

Henry Stern

Players

3-5

Length

75 Minutes

Complexity

2.36/5.00

Publisher

Avalon Hill

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Vegas Showdown is a slightly different type of gambling board game. The title is not so much about you placing wagers or gambling, as it is about building a gambling empire on the tabletop.

You can almost think of the game as a sort of Monopoly in which you are buying out gambling properties and assets and seeking to generate profit. As you race to build the best casino resort in Vegas, you will continue to add accommodation, hospitality, and food & beverage floors, along with slots and table games.

Designer Henry Stern specifically wanted to achieve asymmetry with this game, bringing at least three players and a maximum of five, giving you a good variety and plenty of competitive fields to explore.

3. Camel Up

Camel up

Designer

Steffen Bogen

Designer

3-8

Length

30-45 Minutes

Complexity

1.49/5.00

Publisher

eggertspiele

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The race is on, and players will soon find themselves betting on the fastest camel. With Wynn Resorts planning the first casino resort in the Middle East and the United Arab Emirates in the next several years, Camel Up is a gambling board game that has made it all possible already. Up to eight players will bet on five racing camels and try to guess which one will place first and second.

Yet, there is a twist, as these camels will end up stumbling upon one another, dropping out of the race or, admittedly – on top of one another! To determine the winner or how far your camel advances, a dice shaker is used to release one die at a time and see which camel is advancing.

A mighty fun game that incorporates betting and gambling elements seamlessly into its core gameplay, Camel Up is a fantastic title to try no matter whether you like gambling in the first place!

4. Long Shot

Long Shot

Designer

Chris Handy

Players

1-8

Length

25 Minutes

Complexity

1.93/5.00

Publisher

Perplext

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Long Shot is another gripping board game that features gambling and betting and will allow you to enjoy yourself a great deal as you go along. Players will find themselves immersed in the captivating world of horse racing, and not only bet but try their hand at influencing jockeys for cash and buying horses.

1-8 players will have the chance to do all of that and more using a dice mechanic and a set of special abilities designed to add more oomph to your horse racing and betting experience. The dice will determine which horses get to move ahead, exacting quick thinking from players who may need to adapt their bets and strategies to ensure that they win more.

Just like in a regular horse race, you will focus on the first three horses because once three horses cross the finish line, the game stops, and all bets are paid out.

5. Ave Caesar

Ave Caesar

Designer

Wolfgang Riedesser

Players

2-6

Length

30 Minutes

Complexity

1.36/5.00

Publisher

Asmodee

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Step into Circus Maximus, the place where intrepid chariots will race across the field in a bitter race and attempt to secure Caesar’s favor by finishing first. This 2-6-player game is one of the oldest “gambling” board games that simulate a horse racing mechanic and has become a true vanilla experience in the hobby.

In the game, players will try to complete three laps and come ahead of the rest of the field, spurring their chariots to victory, and pleasing Caesars himself. Although not a traditional betting game, the similarities between Ave Caesar and horse racing and betting are there.

Although the game is pretty light and straightforward, you still want to make sure that you are using your move mechanic successfully, and not wasting it in vain.

6. Wits & Wagers

Wits & Wagers

Designer

Dominic Crapuchettes

Players

3-7

Length

25 Minutes

Complexity

1.21/5.00

Publisher

NorthStar Game Studio

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Wits & Wagers is a fun trivia game that will have you riveted. In this game, you will try to guess obscure factoids and be rewarded based on how close you come to the correct answer. Players will not only proffer guesses but similarly bet whether the guess they have suggested is the correct one.

The game is exciting on all levels, as it challenges you on a range of topics, and also benefits from the added fun of actually betting against others – and on yourself. The betting mechanic is crucial to the game’s success and popularity, as it raises the stakes and gives participants a sense of fulfillment.

Play the odds, make educated guesses, and soon you will be cheering as if you have hit the Mega Millions jackpot yourself!

7. Downforce

Downforce

Designer

Rob Daviau

Players

2-6

Length

20-40 Minutes

Complexity

1.73/5.00

Publisher

Restoration Games

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Here comes another mighty fun and rewarding game that, although not featuring any betting or gambling mechanic per se, can still be the focal point of a heated evening of friendly wagers in your gaming group. Downforce is a racing game after all, with small cars hurtling down tabletop tracks, only metaphorically, of course, to bring joy to all players.

Downforce is a game of thrilling chases that is propelled by smart hand management through card play. Players will try to pull ahead and overtake their rivals, adjust their decks for the runways they set out to race on, and generally try and maintain their vehicles in good shape to ensure that they have the best chance of securing a win in the race.

All in all, there are no gambling elements to the game, but you can always have a few side bets running just to make sure.

8. Heat: Pedal to the Metal

Heat: Pedal to the Metal

Designer

Asger Harding Granerud, Daniel Skjold Pedersen

Players

1-7

Length

30-60 Minutes

Complexity

2.19/5.00

Publisher

Days of Wonder

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Heat: Pedal to the Metal is one of the most fun board games you will ever try, especially if you are a bit of a gearhead or love F1, NASCAR, or any other motorsports competitions. The title is a racing board game that lets you expertly race across a variety of runways and configure your vehicles so that you pull ahead and win the most races.

You can host entire tournaments that will run across different runaways as 1-7 players scramble to adjust their vehicles and address the current racing conditions to pull ahead and win.

The game is tons of fun, and if you want to rope people in and ask them to place wagers on individual players and their cars, you absolutely can do that even if Heat: Pedal to the Metal is more about smart resource management than it is about betting predictions.

9. Winner’s Circle

Winner’s Circle

Designer

Reiner Knizia

Players

2-6

Length

45-60 Minutes

Complexity

1.61/5.00

Publisher

alea

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Winner’s Circle is a classic horse racing board game with betting elements. The game is all about betting as you will simulate an actual day at the ponies and bet on seven horses to try and win the most money. Developed by Reiner Knizia, the game has quickly become one of the most notable experiences for people looking to simulate the “betting experience” in a board game.

Knizia himself has developed or conceptualized more than 1,000 games in his life so far and he is not stopping. Yet, it’s gems such as Winner’s Circle that truly shine. Much like in other games of this type, players will roll a die and choose what horse advances in the game. With 2-6 play, players will have running bets on the horses placed in secret and then try to influence the race to win.

This creates a lot of room for conflict and is a fun, simple, and highly rewarding mechanic that will scratch your betting itch.

10. Can’t Stop

Can’t Stop

Designer

Sid Sackson

Players

2-4

Length

30 Minutes

Complexity

1.15/5.00

Publisher

Parker Brothers

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Can’t Stop is an old-timer’s game for people who have grown up around board games that were more rudimentary in design and execution. Yet, Can’t Stop by Sid Sackson perfectly fits in the category of a “gambling board game.”

In the title, you will roll the dice each round, trying to win more money, but also risking anything you have won in the previous round, creating a fun and exciting environment, even if the visuals look a little too rudimentary at first glance.

The game is definitely down to basics and might appeal to an older generation that is nostalgic about Can’t Stop in the first place. New players, though, may discover the simplicity and straightforwardness of the game equally appealing.