even money

American  

noun

1. the equal sum staked by each bettor.

2. equal odds in a wager.

   It's even money that the home team will win.

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even money Idioms  

1. Equal odds that something will occur, as in It's even money that he'll get the contract. The term comes from gambling, where it signifies equal odds in a bet. [Late 1800s]

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Other Word Forms

• even-money adjective

Etymology

Origin of even money

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

That means even money isn’t always guaranteed to provide access.

From Salon • May 30, 2025

There’s even money that John will sing some of the songs he wrote with Taupin.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 2, 2023

That’s a problem because if the bad guys get one of your passwords, they will try using it to access your accounts, data and maybe even money elsewhere.

From Washington Post • Sep. 16, 2022

Mr. Plaschke, while the team will be at least at even money to win it all, assuming they get by the Cardinals, I think you lessen the task’s difficulty.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 9, 2021

But even money would do little good now, for there was no food to buy.

From "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck