The Most Popular Songs About Gambling And Their Authors

The culture of gambling is popular in all areas, including movies, media, and, of course, music. Some singers use related words to add them to their songs, while others write songs about gambling luck or people who like taking risks. There is a certain charm in it, right? So here we go: meet the best gambling songs and get familiar with their authors, the musicians who represented these masterpieces to the world.

Songs About Gambling

Top-10 Most Popular Gambling Songs

There are loads of songs that have references to gambling or have casino terms. Most of them are rock music of the 70s and the 80s, and we have the top-10 of the best songs about gambling so that you can feel that atmosphere of charm and risk.

Ace of Spades – Motorhead

Good rock music is never too old. ‘If you like to gamble, I tell you I'm your man’ - that’s what the ‘Ace of Spades’ song is about. As you could guess, these guys sing about how to play card games and the fact that it’s risky, but even in spite of the fact that they are ‘born to lose’, they still need to play. And those who are looking for a more modern variant can listen to Hayseed Dixie’s cover of 2004.

The Galway Races – The Dubliners

It’s a rather old folk song that was released in 1967 and is considered to be a classic Irish song. Its core is dedicated to horse racing, ‘the sporting wheel of fortune’, the jockeys, and people from different places who also came to Galway Town to place a bet.

The Angel and the Gambler – Iron Maiden

This is another masterpiece of the rock music world. These guys offer players to ‘roll of the dice’ and ‘take a spin of the wheel’. But keep in mind that it’s a single from 1998, so you will listen to Blaze Bayley instead of Bruce Dickinson and his famous high-pitch vocals.

Casino Boogie – Rolling Stones

This famous band also represented the casino theme song: ‘Got no tactics, got no time on hand’ they say. If you are fond of the blues rhythm, you won’t pass by this single. Though it was released a long time ago: in 1972.

The Gambler – Kenny Rogers

Kenny Rogers sings about a meeting with an interesting man who is a gambler and knows all about ‘reading people's faces’. He also adds that he, as well as any other player, knows a secret of success: ‘Every gambler knows that the secret to surviving is knowing what to throw away and knowing what to keep’. And he is sure that this rule is working not only at casinos, but also in people’s lives in general.

Viva Las Vegas – Elvis

Las Vegas casinos are always a hotly debated topic. And Elvis Presley with his ‘Viva Las Vegas’ made it even more popular. After this single, Elva Mark VI Maserati that Elvis was driving became a desired number one car. ‘Oh, there's black jack and poker and the roulette wheel’, he said, so the range of entertainment games in Vegas is really amazing.

Rambling, Gambling Willie – Bob Dylan

In this song, Bob Dylan tells us a story about the gambler named Willie O' Conley who had 27 children but had no wife. ‘Wherever there was people, there was Willie and his cards’ describes this guy as a risky person. Even too risky as he was finally shot. So the moral of this song is to stop in time.

Black Queen – Stephen Stills

‘Black Queen, where's your black man?’, the singer asks. It seems that it’s dedicated to women and is about love in some context, but the singer who commented on it as a song that is fully about casino games.

The Card Cheat – The Clash

The fate of the character of this song is also tragic. ‘With a card up his sleeve, what would he achieve?’, the singer asks. And in general, this single is also about time and how valuable it is.

Gambler’s Blues – B.B. King

The signer says ‘Oh, I don't claim to be no gambler people’, which means that all of us have a desire to take a risk sometimes. Besides, he sings about his beloved woman and how she left him that morning.

Other Songs Related to Gambling

Of course, that’s not all and you can find loads of other hits. Some of them may be not exactly about casinos, like ‘Poker Face’ from Lady Gaga or ‘Rain Man’ casino song. The other famous projects are:

hip hop and rap songs about gambling (eg. I’m so Paid from Akon);
the theme song to Casino Royale (Chris Cornell);
songs of Autistic Savant;
James Bond theme;
songs of Leonard Cohen;
various casino credits song

Final Thoughts

The industry of casino games is becoming more and more popular, and it has been desired for many years, as the songs you can find are both old and new. Enjoy the culture of risk and entertainment and listen to good music about it!