vigorish
Americannoun
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a charge paid on a bet, as to a bookie.
-
interest paid to a moneylender, especially a usurer.
Etymology
Origin of vigorish
1910–15, earlier viggresh, perhaps < an adaptation in Yiddish slang of Ukrainian výgrash or Russian výigrysh winnings, profit
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
There’s also a built-in fee, like a bookmaker’s vigorish or a poker rake.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026
Factoring in the vigorish, a bettor who wagers $25,000 at even odds within the required 90 days would be expected to come away down about $135, even after claiming the $1,000 bonus.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 26, 2022
Businesses might decide to absorb some wage increases and other costs, such as fuel, without passing them all on to consumers and tacking on additional vigorish.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2022
That period was the state government’s 2019 fiscal year, during which its vigorish in the form of gambling tax revenue was a record $1.39 billion.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 7, 2019
Big gambling layouts know within minutes if a table is not making its vigorish.
From Vigorish by John Berryman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
